


Everything Wrong With: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

by PierceTheVeils



Series: Everything Wrong With: The Ace Attorney Games [3]
Category: CinemaSins, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: CS is still amazing, Dirty Jokes, Gen, Humor, I don't swear this much in real life, Non-Serious Game Reviews, Promise, Series Spoilers, am I right, sixth of these babies, what the fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-05 20:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14626488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PierceTheVeils/pseuds/PierceTheVeils
Summary: No video game is without sin.





	1. Everything Wrong With: Turnabout Memories

(The cutscene) "No college guy argues like this." *ding

"Wait... that pink thing is Phoenix?" *ding

"The first tutorial case where they don't show us the culprit, and... They expect us to think Phoenix did it? And to think: I was all ready to remove a sin for the broken precedent." *but I won't add one either

"Wait... Five years  _before_  the cutscene? Is this the Terry Fawles case I keep hearing about? How long has Mia been a lawyer at this point? Wait... The cutscene happened- and I thought Dual Destines was confusing with what happened when!" *ding

"Playing as Mia. It's kinda sad she had to die two games before becoming a playable character (severely limiting when her cases can take place), but at least it finally happened." *removes a sin

(College!Feenie) "Larry and Phoenix switched bodies for this case. That is my only explanation for this." *ding

"Winston's eighties hair. I thought we went back five years. Not thirty five." *ding

(In trial) "Phoenix's sneezing. Are you sure this isn't SARS?" *ding

"I click that I don't need help with the Cross Examination, and the game gives me a tutorial anyway. What was the point of giving options, then?" *ding

"Grossberg's hemorrhoids. It did not need to be a recurring joke in this series." *ding

(Mia hurts her co-counsel whenever Dahlia is mentioned) "Foreshadowing." *ding

(Grossberg says his hemorrhoids are doing the Harlem Shake) "Wait... Was the Harlem Shake even a thing in 2005? I know this case was set in 2013, but it sure wasn't written then. Either this meme is older than I thought it was, or Grossberg is predicting the future. Both possibilities terrify me." *ding

"How does Grossberg not know why Mia is so interested in Dahlia Hawthorne in this trial? Are you telling me neither Mia nor Diego ever told him about the Terry Fawles trial? Did they conduct their investigation into her after that trial completely under their boss's nose? Does Grossberg really have no idea how Diego died until Mia shows him the news clipping later? How is it possible for their boss to be this oblivious?" *ding

(Trial recess) "Forty five minute trial gameplay somehow took two hours game time. This game has learned nothing from its prequels." *ding

"Does Mia carry around a news clipping about Diego's death wherever she goes, or just to court for this case? I can never be sure on this one." *ding

(Trial resumes) "Dahlia Hawthorne." *ten sins for down payment

(Judge and Payne are in Dahlia's pocket before she even says anything) "Is there some redhead fetish in Japan I don't know anything about? Does Dahlia have magic powers? She's  _pretty_ , not goddess-like. And besides: you're both married!" *ding

("Well, we know whose milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...") "What milkshakes? She's flat as a sidewalk. The only one in this court with any milk to shake is you, Mia." *ding

"Also... this.  _This_  is the sort of reference to pop culture I expect to be written in 2005." *no sin

"Hold on a second. Dahlia says she's a junior in literature at Ivy U, but just a year ago, she was posing as Melissa Foster and claimed to be a freshman. When and how did she skip sophomore year? I find it hard to believe Dahlia, after being exposed for having a fake identity, not only stayed at Ivy U, but doubled down on her classes to graduate early. And sure, she might be lying, but why lie about something so arbitrary and easily disproven? There's no point to this, it never comes up again, and it pisses me off in ways I don't understand." *ding

"Dahlia implies that Mia is old, despite only being five years younger than her. Also ironic, considering neither of them ever have the chance to grow old and both are killed off in their twenties." *ding

"I just realized: of the three on-screen cases Dahlia is involved in, two of them involved a thunderstorm and lightning strikes. And I thought Gant was the one with the lightning motif." *not really a sin

(Affidavit from the pharma student) "Blackout before the murder cliche. This case actually takes place outside, but the core of the cliche remains." *ding

(Cables are so fragile that bumping them causes them to break) "And yet they're hanging low enough that a student could accidentally run/be pushed into one... why, again?" *ding

"Game says a man who dies from electrocution can be done for in less than a minute, but it actually takes a minimum of two minutes to fifteen minutes, all depending on conditions and the strength of the current. Even a strong, wet one like this should have taken twice the time." *ding

(Bringing in Diego's death with regards to the current case) "Incident from x years ago is related to today cliche. In this case, two thirds of a year ago, but the core of the cliche remains. I see we're starting early this game?" *ding

(In general) "Behold: the only main series intro case where the lawyer is allowed to act competent in any way. The spinoffs (save DGS) are actually okay in this regard, but in none of Phoenix's intros is he in his element (one is also his first case), Apollo is strung around by the nose on his first case by Phoenix and Kristoph, and Athena collapses after the first ten minutes of acting like a placeholder. Sure, I'm kinda dissing all the other games with this sin, but... go Mia, goddammit." *removes a sin

(The Pursuit theme) "Oh look, they fixed JFA's theme in time for this game. Good job, guys!" *no sin

"Important question: if Diego Armando was investigating Dahlia for her crimes in the fourth case, why on earth would he agree to sit down and drink coffee (or ingest anything at all) with her around? He  _knows_  she kills by poisoning people! You've heard of culprit foiling their own plot and defendant causing their own arrest, now I introduce you once again to their distant cousin: victim causes their own murder. ...Or "murder", if you prefer." *ding

(Phoenix swallows the necklace) "Phoenix is a dumbass for a very stupid re- is Grossberg the only male character in this case who isn't an idiot? I'm starting to think he's the only male character in this case who isn't an idiot." *ding

"Also, he survives this with no injuries. Ignore the traces of poison for a minute and recall the  _metal and glass_  now inside him. He also chewed it, meaning the glass is broken, and yeah... that's gonna require some surgery." *ding

(One more thing) "Consuming key evidence cliche origin. Thanks for nothing, Phoenix." *ding

(The plot to kill Phoenix) "Is there a reason Dahlia (or Iris, as we later find out) couldn't have merely stolen the necklace back while Phoenix was in the shower or something? I know this elaborate plot is the only reason we're able to bring her down, but Phoenix knew nothing. Killing him would not only have been pointless, but it would have brought extra suspicion her way. If Dahlia took the easier way out and didn't steal any poison, she would have gotten away with all three of her murders. Culprit foils her own plot for one of the most overdramatic and ridiculous of reasons." *ding

"Mia could be disbarred for trying to convict an innocent person on bad evidence? But prosecutors do that all the time! Why don't they have have to take their badges off? I'm so confused, here." *ding

(The final present, in which Mia tries to get Dahlia and Payne to take the poisoned medicine) "Mia Fey is awesome. And the fact that I'm saying this is in a tutorial case is really something to take notice of." *removes another sin

"Also, cool as this is, is there a reason they can't just have the bottle analyzed? It would be a lot more definitive as evidence, and what would happen if Payne called Mia's bluff and took the medicine? I'll answer you: he would die. Mia would be indirectly responsible for murdering him in open court. So dramatic as this strategy is, the practicality leaves a lot to be desired. Which is a good way to describe this game, when you think about it." *sin returned

(Dahlia tells Mia they'll meet again) "In five years, when they're both dead. Who would have thought this prediction would actually come true?" *ding

(Payne's breakdown) "And that, my friends, is the origin story of how Winston Payne went bald. I'm sure this was a burning question for all of us." *ding

(After the verdict) "Hour long trial gameplay somehow took three h- oh, I already give up." *ding

(Phoenix says he's the most mature of his friend group, causing Mia to wonder who his friends are) "Larry. Need I say more?" *ding

"Also, this game adds more to Phoenix's motivation to become a lawyer, redeeming the utterly ridiculous 'I'm gonna save my nine year old buddy' storyline from the first game. It's still there, but now it's not the only thing, and that is cause for celebration, even if this case retcons Turnabout Sisters with Phoenix being accused of murder." *no sin

"Ending narration." *ding

**Total Sin Tally: 40**

**Sentence: Catching Phoenix's Cold**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N's: Yay, got the first case done! I'm looking forward to sinning this game. It's been a while since I played, and a lot of my views on this game and its characters have changed since I last played, so we'll see how a replay with this level of scrutiny influences them.
> 
> In case you can't tell, I love Mia's role in this case. It makes me sad that she went out so easily in the first game, because all this case proved to me was how much potential she really had as a lawyer. I think it would have been great if we got to take cases with her where Phoenix was her co-counsel. Can you imagine if Mia actually was the defense of RftA, as Ema Skye intended? Maya could still serve as an assistant/helper occasionally, but Mia coming back to help wouldn't feel so ridiculous because she's not being called back from the dead. Ah, what could have been.
> 
> But I guess there's no sense in lingering on possibilities. I'm certainly not about to write that fanfic any time soon. I got enough on my plate with AAI3. Still, I hope everyone enjoyed this review. It might be a while before I put out another one.
> 
> In the meantime, thanks for reading, don't forget to comment, and I'll see you on the far side!


	2. Everything Wrong With: The Stolen Turnabout

"You know what fucks me up every time? This series has a Lost Turnabout, a Stolen Turnabout, and a Forgotten Turnabout, in that order. Why is this series so bad at holding onto their turnabouts? And naming them originally? I'm nitpicking by sinning this, but sin it I will." *ding

"Gumshoe brags about the police's secure watch over a jewel while standing in front of a closed safe. In other words, there is no way that jewel is making it through this cutscene without being stolen." *ding

"We see numbers typed into the safe, but no fingers. Is the owner of the safe invisible? Was it really so hard to animate a hand and fingers into a cutscene for a few seconds?" *ding

(View of Mask*DeMasque flying through the air into the fucking moon) "So after seeing how shitty their flying animation was in Turnabout Big Top, they didn't decide to make any improvements in time for this game? They just stuck with what  _didn't_  work? Between this sin and the last one, I'm guessing animation is  _not_  something the trilogy was supposedly superior at." *ding

"Also, Mask*DeMasque is secretly a werewolf. Good to know, for when we have to prove his identity later." *ding

(Gameplay begins) "Why is a clothing store putting on a treasure exhibition? Is this something high end stores that I'm too poor to shop at do? I've just never heard of this happening, is all." *ding

(Phoenix explains who Maya and Pearl and their connection to Mia) "Narration. This goes on for some time." *ding

"The return of Adrian Andrews. Happy as I am for this, Farewell, My Turnabout happened in March 2018. This case happens in October of the same year. That means that Andrews served out her time for staging a crime scene, forging evidence, and so on, was paroled, and found not only a job, but was hired by the fanciest department store in LA (with her felony record and all) in the span of seven months. Either Phoenix got her a bang up plea deal, Edgeworth felt bad for the shit he put her through and pulled strings for her, or Franziska is a lot more influential than I give her credit for. Or some combination thereof." *ding

"Andrews lectures Maya and Pearl about their own family history." *ding

(Maya expresses a desire to stab someone with the shichishito) "Foreshadowing." *ding

"What department store has twelve floors? And how can Andrews turn her reservation for one into a reservation for four with no advance notice? I knew AA society was wild, but this-" *ding

"Phoenix spends even more time narrating. It's not like we're already ten minutes into the case alrea- wait, I got this many sins in ten minutes? I need to lower my sensitivity settings for this case, don't I?" *two sins

"Phoenix's toilet cleaning. I'm surprised that sin didn't come up earlier, to be honest." *ding

(The urn was stolen) "TV news reports only on what is pertinent to the game's characters at any given time cliche." *ding

(Flashback to Reunion and Turnabout) "Holy shit. He's narrating again!" *three sins

"Pearl asks Phoenix not to tell Maya about her breaking the urn... right in front of Maya." *ding

(At the crime scene) "Why is Phoenix so upset to see Gumshoe? The last time they met, Gumshoe was nothing but helpful to Phoenix and saved his ass on more than one occasion. Why would you write one of the best cases in the series if you're just going to ignore it's existence and implications?" *ding

"That said, Phoenix does pose a valid question: why don't any other detectives on the police force ever show up in Phoenix's cases? Gumshoe is a homicide detective. If any case should have a different detective character working it, it's the first half of this one. We can get a new judge in this game, but not a new police detective? Rise from the Ashes later proves that Takumi is capable of writing more than one decent police detective, he merely chooses not to. And why is that, anyway?" *ding

"Gumshoe says Mask*DeMasque only targets the finest art, but of his two heists we've seen, neither one was an art piece. They were a jewel and an urn. Gumshoe should know this. He worked both cases... for some reason." *ding

(Regarding Luke Atmey) "Police let a self proclaimed ace detective who mysteriously 'recovered' one of the thief's treasures without telling them how snoop around their crime scene with no problems whatsoever. The police are bad at their jobs." *ding

(Maya and Pearl joke about Phoenix getting an imitator) "Foreshadowing." *ding

"Luke Atmey. Anyone else feel like they walked into a DC comic on this one?" *one sin for now

"Also, Luke Atmey's theme song." *removes a sin

(Atmey makes up his own proverbs) "Luke Atmey graduated with honors at the Diego Armando school of speaking in nonsensical metaphor. Seeing as the teacher also makes an appearance in this case, who thought we needed a double dose of this?" *ding

"This Investigation theme." *ding

"Pearl has never heard of a computer... in 2018." *ding

"Phoenix also doesn't know how to work a computer... in 2018. He didn't grow up in a cult, so what's his excuse?" *ding

(Gumshoe arrests Mask*DeMasque) "For the second time in this entire series, Gumshoe is 100% on the money when it comes to arresting culprits. This isn't as impressive as it was last time, seeing as DeLite surrendered willingly, but it's worth celebrating nonetheless." *no sin

(Ron DeLite) "...Yup. I'm in a DC comic. Greeeaat." *ding

"I just realized: The Mask*DeMasque theme and Luke Atmey's theme have almost the same main melody. Music through foreshadowing isn't terribly common in AA games, but it's foreshadowing nonetheless." *ding

(Visiting the DeLite residence) "Desiree says she detests illegal activity... minutes after describing an incident in which she speeds down the road and evades police capture on the night of the crime. A-plus for consistency." *ding

"Phoenix had a huge moral crisis over taking the case of a guilty client who victimized Maya last game. This game? Gives no fucks. The magnitude is different. The principles are not." *ding

"Phoenix and Maya let nine-year old Pearl travel back to the office all by herself. Phoenix and Maya are irresponsible." *ding

(Phoenix narrates about Pearl) "When it's an hour into your second case and you still feel like narrating, you done fucked up man. You done fucked up." *four sins

"So if Pearl's father walked out on them and her mother is in jail, who is Pearl's legal guardian? Is it  _really_  Maya, who had recently turned eighteen when it all happened? Does Pearl have even more relatives that we don't know about? What even is her living situation at this point? This is never explained." *ding

"Game spends a long time talking about Maya and Pearl's family three cases before the topic is of any relevance to the case at hand. Also, most of this is recap from the previous two games, so... clunky exposition/background is clunky." *ding

(Larry appears) "Larry congratulates Phoenix on hooking up with a married woman. He also makes up for his lack of a role in the last game by appearing twice in this one. Because that was necessary." *ding

"Larry thinks Pearl sounds like a 'real cutie' and is 'Nick's special friend'. If they had to censor Hotti's line from the last game, I can't help but wonder if they dialed this one back too. (shudders)" *ding

"Why is Atmey upset that Phoenix was snooping and found the urn in his bag? I thought he wanted to be caught as the thief." *ding

"Atmey threatens to drop his panties in court. I think I speak for everyone when I say that nobody wants to see that." *ding

(Atmey hypes up Godot, despite the fact that this is the guy's first case as a prosecutor and nobody knows who the fuck he is yet) "Foreshadowing crosses into the realm of false advertising in this case. If Atmey wanted to foreshadow so badly, couldn't he at least have done it correctly?" *ding

"Atmey wants the death penalty for a thief?! What the hell?" *ding

(In the courthouse) "DeLite insists he wants to plea guilty in the upcoming trial, and Phoenix completely ignores him. Are lawyers allowed to go against their clients' wishes like that? I don't think lawyers are allowed to go against their client's wishes like that." *ding

"Godot also hypes himself as a legendary prosecutor who's never lost a case... even though this is his first case as a prosecutor, and the only people telling his legend are himself and Atmey. My only explanation for this is that he got fed up with prosecutors doing this when he was a defense attorney and is now doing the same thing ironically. I can't think of anything else that might make sense for this." *ding

"Also, Godot's theme." *removes a sin

"Godot's refusal to perform the opening statement unintentionally inspires convict prosecutor to do the same thing nine years later. Same goes for wasting trial time with long fits of philosophical banter." *ding

"Godot's coffee addiction puts my own to shame. I wig out after three cups of coffee, and he's over here drinking seventeen every court session? Get out of here!" *ding

"...No, seriously. Get out of here. Go to the bathroom. How can you possibly drink seventeen cups of coffee without pissing yourself?" *ding

"Also, Godot is constantly having cups of coffee sliding around on his bench, even slamming one against the bench and spittaking when he gets irritated, but no coffee stains can be seen on his side of the courtroom. This bothers me more than it should." *ding

" _Also_  also, when Godot is finished with one cup of coffee, where does he put the old mug when he gets a new one? Is some off screen barista refilling the same mug over and over? Is he keeping them under the bench? I admit that I laughed at this gimmick the first time I played this game, but it raises a lot of unanswered questions." *ding

"Godot says the coffee he's drinking is one of his own blends, but um... hasn't he been in a coma for the past five years? When did he have time to create new blends of coffee? And where can I buy some?" *ding

(Godot says the safest place for crucial evidence is on his person) "I think Phoenix in the first game would like to disagree with you on this one. Though I guess if you don't antagonize the people you suspect are the culprits too much outside of court, it might not be all that bad... Do I have a sin here, or not?" *I don't think I do

(Atmey on the stand) "Atmey is able to figure out who the judge and prosecution are in the courtroom, and that's treated like an impressive feat. Between this guy and DGS Sherlock, the standards on great detectives must be a lot lower than I think they are." *ding

"In the second case of both the third and the first game, the killer to be suspicious of is the ego-inflated man who likes to make up fancy sounding words on the fly. Coincidence?" *ding

(Godot throws a cofee mug at Phoenix) "With all this talk about various characters hitting their head and being knocked out in this game, I can't be the only one who thought this should have concussed Phoenix. The mug should also be broken from impact, the scalding hot coffee should be burning Phoenix (unless Godot drinks his coffee cold, which Godot himself denies), and there should be coffee stains on his clothes. But none of this happens, because... reasons. Franziska's whipping made more sense than this." *ding

(Desiree interrupts the trial to deliver the urn) "Desiree, the wife of the defendant, claims she broke into Atmey's office and stole the urn back from him. If it's true, she gets away with breaking and entering with no consequences. If it's false, as is natural to suspect because of her connection to the defendant, that's false incrimination of an innocent party. No matter which side the courts take on the matter, she should be in trouble right now." *ding

(Phoenix insists his prints should be on the urn) "Phoenix also confesses to snooping through what appeared to be Atmey's private property. This also carries no consequences whatsoever." *ding

(Atmey's breakdown comes a mere forty five minutes into the first day's trial) "And the reward for second most over-inflated villain goes to... oh wait, this one is actually is a fake out. An obvious fake out, in retrospect. I'm serious: did anyone really think this game was only going to have an initial investigation and single session trial for their second case? That would be waaaay too easy. And besides: murder mystery game still has to murder mystery. Don't you know?" *ding

(DeLite insists he's the true thief) "Is this the only time in this series where the defendant is working harder to be found guilty than the prosecutor is? I think it is. And while I don't know which character I am sinning here, it's a sin nonetheless." *ding

(After the first day's verdict) "Pearl also thinks Phoenix is getting it on with a married woman. His friends have no faith in him, do they?" *ding

"Murder mystery game takes approximately two hours to get its murder mystery on. Also, sin for pretending to avert the tradition of murder cases... only to have a murder case halfway through. If they decided to only do one of these cases and fully bake it, I might actually like this case more." *ding

("He may be quiet... but he's the most dangerous enemy I've ever faced." in the second epsiode) "Godot has done nothing dangerous. And are we forgetting the last case Phoenix took? The one with an  _assassin_?" *ding

"Maya driving a motorcycle did not make it into the final version of the game." *ding

"Recapping Reunion and Turnabout for the tenth goddamn time. We get it. That filler case is going to be important in this game. Chill on the clunky exposhadowing." *ding

(Desiree explains how she got the urn) "So let me get this straight: Atmey's plan to be convicted of larceny instead of murder relied on the real thief's wife not knowing the truth, breaking into his office, and stealing the stolen urn back to bring to court? How did he know she would attempt any of this? how did he know she would succeed? Why should he be given credit for any of this?" *ding

"I would be more inclined to believe Gumshoe had been assigned the Bullard murder... had he not also been assigned all the Mask*DeMasque larcenies earlier in this case. As such, wouldn't it make more sense for him to be preparing the case against Atmey right about now? He's been working larcenies for the past six months (for some reason), so why did he suddenly stop? Is Economy Casting really that much stronger than logic?" *ding

(Larry calls Maya a kitten) "When did Larry meet Godot? Is it just coincidence Larry uses the same pet name for females?" *ding

"What kind of hours does Larry work if his shift starts at ten pm and he's still here at whatever o clock in the afternoon? Do the times of his shifts change by the day? That must really suck for his sleeping schedule." *ding

(Maya keeps getting Bullard's name wrong because "the victim in this case just doesn't make much of an impression on me") "Maya speaks for every player ever at this stage of the case." *ding

"If DeLite was fired a year ago, why does he still have a key card that can access the CEO's office? Most employees get theirs deactivated of have to return it when they leave the company." *ding

(DeLite describing his adventures at KB Security) "So DeLite didn't even remember that he'd never stolen a red jewel before? He just went to the blackmailing site with no plan or money and hoped... What? That they could talk things out? Okay..." *ding

"DeLite needed to get rid of Bullard's body, so... he stuffs it in the guy's giant safe for later discovery. DeLite is bad at body disposal." *ding

(Investigating how the urn got pink splotches) "Phoenix wastes time during a murder investigation to figure out who broke the urn for the billionth time. Sure,  _I_  know this information is important to the trial tomorrow, but there's no way Phoenix knew that." *ding

("The Steel Samurai's Ballad" plays when Andrews confesses to breaking the urn) "This song (and, I guess, Andrews's continued existence) is the closest this game comes to acknowledging Farewell, My Turnabout's existence. Justice For All had zero issue with invoking details from Turnabout Goodbyes every other minute, so why can't this game do the same? What changed Takumi's mind from 2002 to 2004?" *ding

(Second trial day) "Phoenix says he's been thoroughly whipped in twenty minutes, but the trial has only been going on for twelve. Why does everyone have such a bad sense of timing in the early games? This is a pretty nitpicky sin, but-" *ding

"Phoenix threatens violence against his own client." *ding

"Godot says he's on his sixth cup of coffee, but it's actually his fifth. Unless he slid himself another one without the player noticing. He also has yet to go to the bathroom." *ding

(The argument over the emergency buzzer) "Phoenix goes out of his way to insult Larry in this trial when Larry's not even here." *ding

(Phoenix wants to interrupt Atmey's trial to accuse him of murder, when) "Mia ex machina. Took her long enough. We almost made it an  _entire case_  without one." *ding

"Payne is prosecuting Luke Atmey? And is about to  _win_? How dare he be competent off-screen!" *ding

"Why is courtroom No. 6 next door to Courtroom No. 4? Shouldn't Courtroom No. 5 be in between the two? Who designed this courthouse, anyway?" *ding

("A fool is too foolish to know that he is a fool...") "When did Franziska show up in this case? I thought Payne was Atmey's prosecutor." *ding

(Proving Ami's statue was moved) "Phoenix makes a reference to exposed film... in 2018, when nobody would be caught dead using it. Even for 2004, digital cameras were already a thing. The first game (written in 2001) even made a big deal about it. No matter which way you look at it, outdated reference is outdated." *ding

"Phoenix also goes out of his way to insult Andrews in this trial when  _she_  isn't even here. Why is he so salty today?" *ding

("Without motive, it's nearly impossible to prove guilt in a murder case!") "Then why do prosecutors arrest suspects with no clear motive (both arrests in Turnabout Sisters, Turnabout Samurai, The Lost Turnabout, and Reunion and Turnabout so far) every other case? Why do cases like The First Turnabout, Turnabout Samurai, and The Lost Turnabout (so far), where the motive doesn't exist until seconds before the murder, exist? Are we sure we've had the same judge for  _all_  these cases? He doesn't seem to think so." *ding

"Godot wants Phoenix to use his fists on him? That beats my fanfiction!" *ding

"Godot, His Honor, and Maya all repeat the exact same line of dialogue for no reason in particular." *ding

(Proving a blackmailer was blackmailing a blackmailer) "Make no mistake. This series has been in love with blackmail since the first game. But this? This is an overdose." *ding

"Someone forgot how to use the space bar in Atmey's second breakdown." *ding

"Game does the dramatic 'pan between the characters to see who interjected' even if the clip is voiced, and you already know who- Have I not complained about this before? I feel like I've complained about this before. For several games now." *ding

"Godot says he wants to send Atmey back to be found guilty of being Mask*DeMasque... well after Phoenix has proved that Atmey faked the crime of being Mask*DeMasque. Seems logical." *ding

"Game says double jeopardy allows someone who was convicted of one crime to thereby be found innocent of a separate crime. That's not how double jeopardy works." *ding

("Your Honor. When you were in a child, this is what was on your report card every year.") "This awkward typo." *ding

"Mia appears... and is not at all surprised to see her dead boyfriend, whom she avenged five years ago, is prosecuting the current case. If he can recognize her in Maya's body, she should be able to recognize him." *ding

(Atmey's eleven statement testimony) "This final challenge is... actually, a well done and difficult bit of gameplay. In the end, it isn't a direct contradiction that does Atmey in, but a minor flaw in logic regarding what Amtey should and should not know thanks to only joining the trial later. Bravo, third game in the series. Bravo." *removes a sin

"...That said, Mia all but tells us how to win the end-of-case challenge. Why do we have to wait until the finale for Phoenix to do shit on his own?" *ding

"Atmey delivers the same breakdown speech twice. Talk about reused dialogue." *ding

"Judge also repeats his exact words when declaring DeLite innocent. Isn't the second case a _little early_  to be getting lazy with dialogue? Especially since this was the first game _intended_ to have five cases." *ding

"DeLite is better at understanding double jeopardy than any of the lawyers (save Mia) or judges in the courtroom. That says something." *ding

"Related: Ron DeLite was only proven innocent of not being Mask*DeMasque in the urn theft, but no one ever said anything about the other four thefts... which he confessed to carrying out at least one of in open court. Why don't the police ever go after him for the other thefts? We know they don't, because in the credits scene for this game, DeLite is still free and is back at a life of crime. Seeing as the police now know he was behind the previous thefts, why don't they ever catch him for writing plans for future- I'm overthinking this when I could just as easily sin." *ding

"Phoenix got a criminal off through his own lawyering, which was a huge deal for him in the last game. Now, because DeLite isn't a murderer, Phoenix gives no fucks. The magnitude is different. The principles are- didn't I already write this sin?" *ding

(Mia's post-trial conversation with Phoenix) "Well, this case is over. Time to foreshadow the finale!" *ding

"I just realized: you can get through the entire game without presenting Kane's List to anyone." *ding

"Pearl bursts in on Phoenix blushing over Desiree... for the second time this case. How many things did this case feel the need to repeat in order to bloat out the runtime? This case isn't even that long  _without_  the recycled fluff!" *ding

"A game after Phoenix was whipped into unconsciousness at the end of the second case... he gets slapped into unconsciousness on the second case by a different character entirely. Poor Phoenix." *ding

**Total Sin Tally: 103**

**Sentence: Blackmailed for $50,000**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N's: Sorry this one took a little while to get written. I wanted to finish the new chapter for AAI3 first once I got out of school. That's with our beta the moment.
> 
> But yeah, this case is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I liked a few of the things it tried, but to me, it went after too much, and didn't develop each individual part well enough to leave much of an impact. If you consider this to be the direct aftermath of Farewell, My Turnabout (like how JFA was the direct aftermath of Turnabout Goodbyes), it gets even worse. Why would Takumi want to ignore one of his best cases? It's like when Yamakazi refuses to acknowledge AAI2 exists.
> 
> I don't have a better opinion of the next case, either, so I hope I'm not too lazy in getting that one finished. I just want to get these middle cases as soon as possible so I can go off on Bridge to the Turnabout. I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to tearing into that case... even if it gets me angry reviews.
> 
> Speaking of reviews, don't forget to leave one! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the far side!


	3. Everything Wrong With: Recipe for Turnabout

"For the second time this game, players are expected to believe that Phoenix committed murder in the opening cutscene. If it didn't work the first time, what was the point of trying again two cases later? Did... did they think players were going to fall for this?" *ding

"In the case proper, Tigre's whole body is Trump-level orange. Here in the opening cutscene, he's the same skin color as Phoenix. The badge is also clearly gold-colored,  _not_  the color of cardboard. Cutscene outright lies to us all so it can avoid the 'murder mystery game shows us who the culprit is' cliche.  _Technically_ , they still are showing us, they're just trying to be clever about it." *ding

"What is it with this game and their sudden love for Winston Payne? When, how, and why did he take a level in badass? Seriously. The first two games, he only appears in the tutorial case. This one? Prosecutes the first case  _and_  cameos as prosecuting a closely related case in two others. He's prosecuted more cases in this game than  _Godot_. On top of that, we find out he had a perfect win streak before meeting Mia, see him almost win once, and then  _actually_  win a(n admittedly fraudulent, as we later discover) trial in the  _opening cutscene_. Not sure how  _any_  of this happened, but... you go, Glen Coco." *I gotta be honest... is this a sin?

"Also, episode gives us the non-standard game over animation sequence within the first minute of the case. Isn't it a  _little early_  to Fission Mail?" *ding

(Gameplay starts) "Maya attempts to make Phoenix's New Year's Resolutions for him... six days after when such resolutions should be made. Maya is bad at New Year's." *ding

"If Gumshoe is really here about Maggey (the girl he's had a crush on for over a year) and her conviction, why did he wait a month before taking it up with Phoenix? Did he leave town for the holidays on extended vacation and only just got back? Are you really telling me this magazine article is the first he's hearing of it? No one on the police force thought to say 'hey dude, guess what? Your crush and our former co-worker just got  _convicted of murder_ '? A case of now-moderately famous Phoenix Wright royally fucking up never even got mentioned on Takumi News Network? The fuck?" *ding

(Phoenix jokes that he may have just forgotten he took the case) "I thought the reason Phoenix got amnesia in The Lost Turnabout was so that we  _wouldn't_  have to remember that case. So why are we still writing references to it?" *ding

"Xin Eohp." *ding

"Maggey has been in prison for the past month, but is still wearing her waitress outfit. Wouldn't Tres Bien have asked her to return that by now? If you're fine with putting prisoners in prison clothes in the next case, what was so hard about doing it for this one?" *ding

"Maggey goes from angry to helpful so fast, I got... flashbacks." *ding

"How does Maggey steal Phoenix's badge through the glass?" *ding

"They fire Maggey for being involved in a murder investigation, even when she did nothing wrong, but when the same thing had happened to Edgeworth, he could come back without issue. Shouldn't the standards for prosecutors be higher than that for regular police officers and not the other way around? I'm not saying I want Edgeworth fired, but-" *ding

"Maggey talks about a supposed music group putting together a demo CD... in 2018/2019, where physical CDs are all but obsolete." *ding

"The entire premise of this case relies on the fact that Maggey can't remember what Furio Tigre looks like. He's... not exactly forgettable." *two sins

"Everyone is an idiot for falling for Tigre's lazy impersonation of Phoenix. Let's get that sin out of the way  _now_." *ding

(At Tres Bien) "Why is the crime scene still marked off a full month later? Shouldn't the restaurant have cleaned up by now?" *ding

"Tres Bien hasn't hired any new staff in a month. I understand the restaurant isn't doing well, but if they have no staff, how are they open in the first place? Armstrong clearly isn't capable of handling all the tasks himself, and this is never explained." *ding

"Both Maggey and Maya are wrestling fans. I guess when I asked my question in The Monstrous Turnabout, I'd forgotten it was answered two games early." *ding

(Jean Armstrong) "...You know what? Take five more sins." *five more added

(Victor Kudo) "Yeah... ten more. And the character design is half of them." *ten more added

"Victor Kudo's theme is waaaaaay better than the actual character. Not unlike others in this game, I might add." *not a sin

(Kudo describing waitresses) "Did this series need another perverted character? I don't think this series needed another perverted character." *ding

(Maya unwillingly takes over Maggey's position as a waitress) "Wow. If only I found a job that easily. I'd actually have money this summer!" *ding

"Phoenix makes it sound like he and Maya regularly gossip about Gumshoe's love life. Why do they do that? Before now, what was there to tell?" *ding

(At Criminal Affairs) "I just noticed the Blue Badger and his pink friend over Gumshoe's shoulder. Add this to the Proto Badger in the last game, and I'm beginning to think Badger Land wasn't so left field after all. Still stupid as fuck, but at least the game  _did_  clue us in to the existence of other Badgers between Rise from the Ashes (chronologically) and AAI. Even if they only did it with backqround scenery." *not really a sin

"Gumshoe can't stop thinking about Armstrong? That... is a fanfiction I never want to read." *ding

(Maya in the waitress outfit) "Shameless fanservice." *can't bring myself to sin it

"Wait... does Armstrong have two waitress outfits? Maggey's already wearing one in prison, but I can't imagine Armstrong being able to keep more than one employee at a time, so two outfits is an unnecessary expense. Not that I don't already believe Armstrong is stupid with money, but this game answers none of the important questions, does it?" *ding

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled murder mystery to bring you... Phoenix trying and failing to eat lunch. This goes on for some time." *ding

"Tigre's pink scooter." *ding

"Tigre's screaming. That  _also_  goes on for some time." *ding

"Tigre's terrible tan." *ding

"All that said... (sigh) Furio Tigre, everyone." *what's eight more sins?

"Also... yes, his theme song is great. Probably the best character theme in the game and definitely one of the best in the series. So while I am willing to remove three sins for it, it won't help this case's final tally all that much." *three sins removed

"Did Tigre not realize Phoenix was the guy he'd impersonated until  _after_  Phoenix introduced himself? I would have thought the badge, suit, and hair (all of which Tigre copied) were dead giveaways." *ding

"When did Gumshoe get Armstrong's number? Was Armstrong hitting on Gumshoe? Why was this scene not included in the- you know what? I think I'm okay with that scene not being in the game." *ding

"Overuse of JFA's Core theme. This song was great in the last game. This one? It just doesn't feel right. Every time I hear it, I think of Farewell, My Turnabout. You know, the case no one wants to give any lasting impact to?" *ding

"Phoenix claims Kudo was too busy looking at Maggey's uniform to recognize her face, but I don't think it was the clothes he was into. I think Kudo would have been fine if he got to throw some seed at Maggey, if you know what I mean." *ding

"Kudo refuses to ogle Maya because she's too young... even though she's only four years younger than Maggey. And at 68, what difference is it to him if a girl is 19 or 23? They're both out of his league! This is just an excuse for Maya to channel her sister in the waitress outfit." *ding

"Mia in the waitress outfit. I'd remove more than one sin... if the entire purpose of this scene wasn't for a dead lady to seduce an old man using her teenage sister's body. Does no one think that's weird? Or were they all too distracted by the fanservice to think about it?" *removes a sin

"Well, that was an...  _interesting_  variation of Mia ex machina. I can't entirely say I was opposed to this..." *no sin

(Breaking Armstrong's Psyche-Locks) "Armstrong is putting petals off his rose, but the rose never seems to lose any petals. I want roses like that!" *ding

(Prosecution said Maggey killed Elg for the lottery ticket) "I can believe trying to steal someone's winning ticket (and this does turn out to be part of the real killer's motive as well), but what does murder have to do with any of this? Just steal it while the guy's distracted, you dumbass! There's no need for poison  _or_  over-complicated frame jobs." *ding

"Armstrong was previously arrested for stealing from customers, but is still allowed to own and operate his own restaurant with no oversight whatsoever. Because that makes sense." *ding

(In the courthouse) "Gumshoe threatens to arrest Phoenix if he fails at winning Maggey's appeal case. That's not legal." *ding

"After refusing to ask for Gumshoe's name and occupation last case, it's the first thing Godot does in this case. I guess someone lectured him on courtroom procedure over the past three months?" *ding

"Why would they call Gumshoe to the stand? He told us yesterday his investigation was unofficial, and he clearly wasn't the detective for the initial trial or he would have badgered Phoenix about supposedly losing a lot sooner. He's also a homicide detective again after being assigned a string of larceny cases three months ago. The game comes up with an excuse, of course, but it's bullshit. Look, all I'm saying is that Takumi seems to be going to extreme lengths not to create a new detective character. I love Gumshoe too, but-" *ding

"Godot throws his coffee at Phoenix... while yelling at Gumshoe. Seems logical." *ding

(The apron reveals that Godot can't see red on white) "Symbolism. Also, foreshadowing. Symboshadowing?" *ding

"Gumshoe confesses in open court that he likes to watch Maggey sleep. Because that's not creepy." *ding

"Wait... if Elg was found with less than a dollar in his wallet, doesn't that go to reason that he was dining with someone else? As both sides of the court know, coffee at Tres Bien is eight bucks. If Elg couldn't pay for it and he hadn't been murdered that day... who was going to pay for the coffee? Was he planning to dine and ditch? Why doesn't Phoenix at least  _try_  to argue this point? Even if he gets shot down, it's better than flailing aimlessly." *ding

"Also, if this really was a crime of opportunity, and Maggey only decided to kill Elg after hearing he won the lottery, why would she have brought potassium cyanide to work with her before knowing any of this? Where did she get potassium cyanide in the first place? Neither prosecutor ever even tries to explain this." *ding

(Gumshoe left a department party wearing his boss's shoes) "What did Gumshoe do with his boss at the department party? I need answers to solve this case, goddammit." *ding

"Dumb and Dumber reference." *ding

"Coffee mugs have the same sound effect as gavels in this game. This bothers me way more than it should." *ding

(During the recess) "Maggey blows the act of Gumshoe doing his job waaaaay out of proportion. Neither Gumshoe nor the prosecution was working that hard to put her back in jail. All they did was repeat what Payne and the first detective said already." *ding

(Kudo on the stand) "Phoenix says Kudo has earned the title of 'Battiest Man to Ever Grace the Courtroom', but I can think of a few other witnesses who could challenge him. So can Phoenix, at this point." *ding

"Game forces us to picture Phoenix in a Tres Bien waitress outfit. I think I prefer Athena and the Feys, thank you very much." *ding

"Maggey was wearing a dirty apron on the day of the poisoning, but the outfit she's been wearing since is perfectly clean. When and where did she get a replacement apron?" *ding

"Kudo says he was reading Elg's sports paper a month ago to find out if Gutsen Brawn defended his title... even though he only did so and was beaten yesterday. Were there two matches, or did the game forget this was an appeals case? I find both scenarios equally likely." *ding

"Three handed Phoenix Wright did not make it into the final version of the game." *ding

"Kudo promises us he'll eat his seeds and sing the pigeon song for us if he fucks up. He never does either. Even when he throws them at himself, none go in his mouth." *ding

(The hands on cup contradiction) "The only way Phoenix's argument works in this case is if no one ever picks up a coffee cup on the opposite side of the handle. Why don't they just check the layout of the fingerprints on- oh, right. This game came out before Rise from the Ashes, didn't it?" *ding

"Kudo thinks CD's and DVD's are 'newfangled'... in January 2019." *ding

("He's gotta be using some sort of infinite ammo code with that box of seeds...") "Can you even get infinite ammo codes in a game like this? I thought I was playing a visual novel." *ding

"Wait, so the cleaners have to spend all night cleaning the seeds up in the courtroom and that gets Kudo in trouble, but they don't have to spend all night cleaning up coffee stains and Godot is fine the way he is? Why is one true and not the other? You can't have it both ways, game!" *ding

"I just noticed: Tigre's shirt has a tiger chomping down on a dragon. In the Japanese version of the game, Phoenix's name is Naruhodou Ryuuichi. Ryu means dragon. Coincidence?" *no sin

(At Criminal Affairs) "Phoenix and Maya both say the people at Criminal Affairs are panicking, but when we look, all we see are the same two people sitting calmly at their desks. You know, the same background they've used for the past three games now?" *ding

"Phoenix says Gumshoe's testimony is akin to Swiss cheese, but compared to most witnesses, he's one of the better ones. At least he never lies intentionally. That's gotta count for something, right?" *ding

(Lisa Basil) "Penny Nichols 2.0. This time with a cooler character design." *ding

"Ghost in the Shell refere- wait, this game was made before the live action movie. It's cool, we're cool." *no sin

(SuPer-Admin Restricted Desktop Acces protected password/"This is SPARDA") "300 reference. A contrived one, nonetheless." *that gets a sin

"Computer jargon." *ding

"Basil hasn't had Elg's desk cleared after a whole month. She also hasn't started the process of hiring anyone to replace him. That's two places in this game that are utterly frozen in time for the sake of this appeals case. You know, it would feel a lot more genuine if some evidence were lost to time, you. At least make it harder to find than it would be on a current case, would you?" *ding

"Elg's boss hiding her month-dead employee's gambling problem somehow warrants three Psyche-Locks." *ding

(Back at Tres Bien with Armstrong and Viola) "Phoenix walks in on Armstrong being threatened with arson and murder, and does absolutely nothing. Viola also makes these threats one room away from a police detective. Because that's well thought out." *ding

"Viola creeps. Me. Out." *ding

"Game gives us flashbacks to things that occurred less than a minute ago. Who thought that was necessary, and why?" *ding

(Tender Lender) "Tres Bien gives out matches? That wasn't there when Phoenix visited the place." *ding

"Where does Viola disappear on and off screen to? There's only one room in this scene." *ding

"Phoenix's suit is not that shade of blue. His is several shades lighter than that." *ding

"Tigre's screaming still takes  _forever._ " *ding

(On the same note) "Maya's constant screaming. There is way too much screaming and not enough to scream about in this case. Unless it's out of frustration, I guess." *ding

(Kudo accuses Maya of being a demon) "Unfortunately, she wasn't even in the case where everyone was playing the demon part. That was two games later." *ding

(Gumshoe's Psyche-Lock segment only requires one presentation of evidence) "Easiest Psyche-Lock ever. Makes me wonder why there was even one to begin with." *ding

"Dick wants to give a lady his weiner(s) through Phoenix? That beats _my_  fanfiction." *no sin. I love Magshoe

(Maggey: I'm going to stay up all night and blog about everything that happened!) "How? You're in prison, remember?" *ding

"Maggey waits until the second day of investigation to reveal that Kudo wasn't even there when the murder occurred. Why did she wait so long to mention this? Shouldn't she have said something as soon as Phoenix told her about Kudo? Why didn't she say anything about this in the initial trial? This makes zero sense, and it is never explained." *ding

(Back at Criminal Affairs) "You heard it here, folks. The Chief of Police who replaced Gant does nothing but watch Asian soap operas all day, even in the event of a severe virus attacking the police's servers. The Chief of Police is bad at his job." *ding

"Tigre has had the MC Bomber disc for over a month, but appears to have just recently sold it on the black market. Why did he wait so long?" *ding

"The police headquarters (and every other public office in the city) is attacked by MC Bomber, potentially wiping out vital records to catching and processing criminals, victims, and witnesses alike. This also effects people getting driver's licenses, certification to perform certain jobs, construction agreements, vehicle registration, welfare recipients... the list goes on. So naturally, things are completely normal after this and the series never mentions it again. Seems logical." *ding

"Tigre never faces any consequences for infecting the police HQ and others with a virus. Even if he just sold it over the black market, he's still partially to blame for this. And depending on who's trying the case, the act may constitute a terrorist attack. Good luck leaving prison alive after _that_  trial... if it ever happened. The game never actually follows up on this." *ding

"...Who sicced MC Bomber onto the police HQ and other public offices anyway? Did they ever catch them? This is also never explained." *ding

"Case about a poisoning in a diner and the lottery turns into case about computer viruses and gangsters so fast, I got whiplash." *ding

(Breaking Basil's Psyche-Locks) "Basil knew about the MC Bomber virus her subordinate was working on over a month ago, and did absolutely nothing to stop him or it from causing more damage, even when it infects the  _entire goddamn city_. Was she not his boss? Did she not control his paycheck? It sure sounds like she cared about him. Could she and him not have worked out any other way for him to help pay off his debts? Why was _this_  the only thing Elg could do to get money?" *ding

"Phoenix litters for no reason." *ding

(Breaking Viola's Pysche-Locks) "At 78, Bruto Cadaverini is the oldest character with a listed age in any AA game. Fun fact." *not really a sin, though

"How does Tigre know we have Viola's medical papers? She just gave them to us, and we came straight to Tres Bien after that. Was he hiding in the room when Viola spilled the beans? If so, how did he beat us here? This game answers none of the important questions." *ding

(Tigre is about to beat Phoenix up and steal the medical papers back when) "Gumshoe ex machina. Still, it's always fun to see Gumshoe being a badass, so..." *only a half sin

(Second trial day) "Gumshoe casually admits to eavesdropping on attorney/client conversations. That's not legal." *ding

"It took Gumshoe two days to get a small bottle analyzed. Did MC Bomber wreck the system and delay everything?" *ding

(Godot telling other people to change with the times) "Irony." *ding

"Case introduces a large mirror into the mix, but never spends any time reflecting on its sins. How unfortunate." *ding

(Godot's argument about Kudo's way of thinking to cover the HMD contradiction) "Some bullshit." *ding

"Armstrong's flirting." *ding

(Phoenix argues the crime Kudo saw was faked) "...Okay, this is cool on Phoenix's part. He does some good lawyering here." *removes a sin. But only one

"However, it means that Maggey was so shocked by the poisoning that she was out cold for over thirty minutes. It was only a coincidence that she fainted, right? How was Tigre going to account for things if she woke up in the middle of his set-up and walked onto the scene? Like many of the things Tigre does, this plan worked due to Refuge in Audacity alone." *ding

"Godot says he'd never drink the same coffee blend twice, but he did just that last case. Blend #107, if I can remember." *ding

"First Kudo's haikus, now Armstrong's verse. Why is there so much poetry in a case about poison, gambling, and computer viruses?" *ding

(Godot shouts) "No." *ding

"The judge speaks both Spanish and French. Who knew?" *not really a sin

("I've got a bad feeling about this..." and "It's a trap!") "Star Wars references." *removes a sin

"Fifty minute trial gameplay somehow took three hours. This game isn't as bad about this as its prequels, but it still pulls this shit from time to time." *ding

"Gumshoe says it takes an hour to get fingerprint analysis done, but if he'd brought the powder, we could be done in a- it's still pre-RftA, isn't it? Well this is frustrating as fuck." *ding

"Tigre claims he has no knowledge of the incident he's been called in to talk about, but knows when 'the day of the murder' was without being told. Tigre is bad at pleading ignorant." *ding

"Phoenix threatens to shit himself in open court." *ding

"Tigre threatens Phoenix with extortion if he presses on something unnecessary in open court. That's not legal." *ding

(If Tigre doesn't finish quickly, he says he'll miss his bus) "Don't you ride a scooter?" *ding

"How did Payne make it through an entire trial with this guy? If his brother's any indication, he would have run at the first sign of trouble. Is he braver than his brother? Did Tigre tone his roaring down for the Phoenix impersonation? You don't get that impression talking to the judge on the first day, so... which is it?" *ding

"Is it just me, or does poison not really fit Tigre's big mobster guy persona? With all the roaring and threats of physical violence, I would think he'd get more personal while killing people. Leave the poisoning to Kristoph Gavin, would you?" *ding

(Godot threatens to do the judge's job for him, saying "Your job is to slam that little hammer of yours and call a guilty verdict!") "Before becoming a prosecutor, Godot attended the Manfred Von Karma school of running your own trials. I don't know how, given MVK was already dead by that time, but it happened somehow. Clearly." *ding

"Godot is the only one with any balls facing Tigre in this trial. Good for Godot, but sin on everyone else." *ding

"Shady businessman forces his younger female secretary to be an accomplice to his crimes, a la Turnabout Sisters." *ding

"Investigation Core playing in the middle of court. That's not when Investigation themes are for." *ding

"Why does Maya think Phoenix is irresponsible with money? He's kept the office open for two and half years despite going months without cases. Spreading case money out that long takes  _serious_  financial discipline. And she's the one who blows his money on burgers all the time, so what's up with this?" *ding

"Phoenix says he'll wear Tigre's clothes. It takes him nine years to follow up on this promise." *ding

(Maya says Phoenix doesn't have the willpower for gambling) "Yeah? Try saying that next game, Ma- oh wait. You're not in it." *ding

"Hey, if Tigre's already sold MC Bomber on the black market, why was the disc in his office? Did he make a copy? How does this work, exactly?" *ding

"Judge doesn't know what a computer is... in 2019." *ding

"Viola says the traffic accident was four months ago, but Phoenix insists on six. Which is it?" *ding

"Also, the accident itself. Tigre on a scooter pulls in front of Viola in a car... and Viola is the one more severely injured? Bull fucking shit." *ding

(Tigre needed the disc even after Elg won the lottery) "And we're back to the point I made about the lottery ticket: why did TIgre need to kill Elg to get the CD? Why couldn't he still ask for it, or even just steal it? What reason was there to resort to murder?" *ding

"Also, same question I had about Maggey: why does Tigre carry a bottle of potassium cyanide everywhere? Does he attend every business meeting expecting to poison his customers? How would he get his money that way? If the guy can't pay you, waiting for his estate to be settled won't get you the money you need in time, Tigre. That shit takes forever. So no matter who's carrying the bottle, their reason for doing so makes no fucking sense." *ding

(Gumshoe bursts in in the nick of time) "Gumshoe ex machina." *not gonna sin it, though

"Why did the trial go to recess when Gumshoe burst in? That doesn't happen during any other 'Big Damn Hero' moments! Trust me, the series has plenty." *ding

"Why did Tigre touch Elg's ear medication? This makes for a great bluff later, but the act itself is never explained." *ding

"Phoenix spends any time at all thinking about whether or not he will bluff about something." *ding

(Phoenix decides he's going to use some "phony evidence") "No, Phoenix! That's what gets you disbarred next game, you- this case did not age well, did it?" *ding

"Phoenix's bluff only works because no one calls it before Tigre lets his uncanny knowledge of the case slip. Talk about luck." *ding

"Also, the way to beat both Atmey and Tigre is, at the core, the same: get them to admit they know more than they should about the case after only coming into the trial later on. In both cases, it's a seemingly minor detail, but one they could only know if they were there when it was discussed... or when the murder happened. Coincidence... or laziness?" *ding

(In breakdown) "Tigre's screaming. Again." *ding

(After trial) "Wow. The last time a woman teared up with her mouth on my weenie, it was not anything to be excited about. But I'm glad Maggey can find some joy in it." *no sin

"Ending narration." *ding

**Total Sin Tally: 142.5**

**Sentence: Tres Bien's Food (every day for a year)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N's: What do you know? I got this done faster than I thought it would. If this case causing the game's current sin count to double didn't clue you in, I wasn't the biggest fan of this case. None of the cast members were very enjoyable, and while the concept of doing an appeals case was cool, the game rarely made it feel like one, which took away the point of having one to begin with. Not to mention the whole phony idea was executed so sloppily... ugh.
> 
> But hey. If you enjoyed this case, more power to you. Since it's currently one am over here, I don't feel like typing much. Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave your thoughts below, and I'll see you on the far side!


	4. Everything Wrong With: Turnabout Beginnings

(Opening) "I get Phoenix is watching old trial footage, but why does the kidnapping confrontation look this way? Who filmed this thing, and how did they get the angle they did? If they were standing behind Fawles like this, why didn't they attack him behind to- I'm over thinking this when I could just as easily sin." *ding

"Opening narration." *ding

"Captions say case happened six years ago... From February 2019. That puts the trial in 2013, but that can't be true, because we were told Turnabout Memories occurred in April 2013 and the trials were a year apart. Unless the 'five years ago' caption was  _also_  referring to five years before 2019, even though we didn't know  _any cases_ are taking place in 2019, not 2018, until the third case. So... which case happened when? Who should we believe? See what happens when all of your times are relative to each other? I'm so confused!" *ding

(Terry Fawles) "If Fawles is as stupid as the game wants me to believe, how did he escape from prison? Game mentions something about a wagon, but there are barbed wire marks on his face. Did he run headfirst into the fence until it broke on him? That would explain the facial markings, but not much else." *ding

"Repeated dialogue." *ding

(Diego Armando shows up) "Armando insinuates that Grossberg drinks himself to sleep every night. How does he know this, and why?" *ding

"Mia acts like she barely knows Diego here, and he 'dies' six months after this case (eight months before April (I guess) 2014, AKA Turnabout Memories), so their close, personal, dating relationship lasted six months  _at maximum_. I'll get into this more in the finale later, but when's the last time you felt like changing your career path and dedicating your newfound life to targeting her protege and concocting elaborate 'savior' plans with her various relatives over a woman you knew for six months? Never, you say?" *ding

"Edgeworth's suit. It looks like someone took Manfred Von Karma's design, palette swapped it, and placed Edgeworth's head on top." *ding

"Also, Edgeworth in demon mode. This is the only appearance of Edgeworth I won't be removing sins for." *ding

" _Also_  also, anyone who played the first game before coming here knows giving us Edgeworth in this case completely spoils how the case will end. In Turnabout Sisters, we're told Edgeworth never lost a case before meeting Phoenix, so from the second we see him on, we know for a fact that Mia won't win, utterly removing a good eighty percent of all the fucks there are to give about playing this case. The rest are removed as soon as we see Dahlia Hawthorne. We know she doesn't go down until Turnabout Memories, so she has to get away with shit here. Before things ever get good, we already know how it's all gonna end. Not unlike the next game's flashback, now that I think about it." *three sins

"The only thing that has changed about Gumshoe over a six year period... is the color of his overcoat. I'm not sure how I feel about this." *ding

"One case after constantly giving his weenies to Maggey, Gumshoe is confirmed to have had the hots for Mia. Someone's got a type." *ding

"Why doesn't the judge's brother ever appear in another game? He's got a way better handle on cases than our normal judge without sacrificing the occasional comedy this series calls for. He can't have been removed for allowing a fake defense attorney (who's actually a prosecutor) defend in court, or else his brother would have been removed as well for allowing a loan shark to do the same. And what is the likelihood of having the same judge for every case after this game, anyway? As of AAI2, we know there are at least three working in the district. So what are the odds? Astronomical, you say?" *ding

"Mia thinks Edgeowrth has a cute face? I'm... not sure I wanna read that fanfiction. At least, not in this era of the series." *ding

"How did Fawles succeed in stealing a car from a couple at a stoplight? Did he throw them out of the car? Did he kill them? Why is automobile theft not one of the charges Mia is defending him against? And while we're on the subject, why not the charge of escaping from prison? Did he already plead guilty to those? This is never explained, nor does it make any sense." *ding

"Why does Dahlia Hawthorne only kill people when it's raining? That is an oddly specific MO, and she doesn't even have a water motif associated with her." *ding

"Broodle. Do Canadians actually say this? I don't know any Canadians who actually say this." *ding

("Blame it on him, Your Honor. He's the one trying to slip false evidence into the court.") "Armando incorrectly foreshadows the SL-9 case. While Edgeworth does use false evidence, it was Gant and Lana who were trying to slip it in, and not Edgeworth himself. If you're going to foreshadow, at least do so with a sense of accuracy, will you?" *ding

"The return of Dahlia Hawthorne." *five further sins

"Judge openly flirts with a teenage witness during trial, and no one finds this to be inappropriate." *ding

"If you press every statement, 'Melissa' fake-cries about being accused of eavesdropping... right after admitting to eavesdropping. A-plus consistency right there." *ding

"'Melissa' was using a camera with film... in 2013. And unlike Lotta's, it's just an everyday camera, not fancy at all. Either it's several years old, or she spent a long time trying to find it. Where would you even buy those by then?" *ding

(Edgeworth doesn't dispute that Dusky Bridge was broken at the time of the incident, just that Mia can't prove it) "Asshole." *ding

(Mia suggests there's another possible way to get a body across the Eagle River rather than carrying it) "Foreshadowing the finale." *ding

"Edgeworth doesn't like Mia's contradiction, so... he suggests she jump into Eagle River and die. He also insults her intellect and physical appearance several times over the course of the trial, from quaggy to bimbo. And  _Mia's_  the rude one in this case." *ding

(After 'Melissa' is accused) "Fainting in court cliche." *ding

"Terry Fawles was 'boyfriend' for fourteen year old Dahlia Hawthorne. I don't care how evil Dahlia is. That's still creepy as fuck. Stat rape, anyone?" *ding

"Also, according to Fawles, Valerie Hawthorne was a new detective five years ago. How did she go from new detective to Sargent in only five years? Did she take the Lana Skye way of promotions somehow?" *ding

"For the third time this game, the clue that ultimately makes the killer look suspicious is the fact they knew a minor detail about evidence discussed before they entered court. Between this game and the first case of the next one, I can almost declare it a cliche for this series." *ding

("Ms. Fey must be desperate if she's trying to bring the dead back to life.") "No, she actually hasn't tried to channel anyone in this trial yet, though I'm assuming she could. If anything,  _she's_  the one people call back from the dead when  _they're_  desperate. Not the other way around. That said, I know it's doubtful to be accepted as evidence, post-DL-6 and all, but what if Mia tried to channel Dahlia to prove she was still alive? She could try that, couldn't she? It wouldn't prove who Melissa really is, no, but- I wanna Mia channel somebody, goddammit!" *ding

"Edgeworth claims the Prosecutor's Office conducts background checks on all their witnesses... so what's up with Spirit of Justice and not knowing the witness even had a twin? I get it's fifteen years between the cases, but have standards really declined that much over the course of the series?" *ding

"Also, Edgeworth continues to insist Fawles had killed before the current case with Dahlia Hawthorne... despite knowing before the start of this trial that Dahlia is very much alive. If the Prosecutor's Office knew the supposed victim was alive after all, wouldn't Fawles previous sentence be dropped to at  _least_  attempted murder? We know Edgeworth is an asshole at this point on the timeline, but really? Everyone in the Prosecutor's Office, too?" *ding

"Terry Fawles was a tutor? I'm... having my doubts. He can't even speak coherently." *ding

(Mia owning Edgeworth's ass in proving Fawles didn't push Dahlia off the bridge five years ago) "Some epic shit. Go Mia!" *removes a sin

"When surprised, the judge roars with the same sound effect used for a tiger in the previous game. Who knew he had such good animal impressions?" *ding

"Dahlia managed to expertly navigate a raging river that normally kills people at fourteen, fully clothed, and with a backpack on. She may be evil, but that's badass as fuck." *but it's Dahlia, so I still sin

(Fawles on the stand) "You know, for a photo set up by the real killer, Mia sure does get a lot of mileage out of this thing in trying to prove who really did it. Bad play on Dahlia's part, huh?" *ding

(The suicide) "...I can't think of any sins for this. This scene is... sad as fuck and depresses me every time I reach it."

"That said... ending narration." *ding

(Mia monologues about the game's first case) "Recapping shit we already know." *ding

"And... foreshadowing the finale. The holy trinity of sins, and they all come out of the same ending monologue. Way to go, Mia. Way to go." *ding

**Total Sin Tally: 44**

**Sentence: Dropped in Eagle River**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N's: I finished this faster than I thought I would. For some reason, I didn't remember this case being as short as it is. Assuming you press every statement of every testimony, it barely takes you more than two hours to finish. Maybe it's because Bridge is so long that I didn't remember much about this one in terms of length.
> 
> But aside from elaborating on Godot's past and showing how he and Mia met, this case didn't really do anything. Before now, we already knew Dahlia was evil as fuck, we already knew Edgeworth was an asshole before he met Phoenix, Valerie's character is pretty inconsequential if you think about the overarching plot of the game, we already (briefly) met the judge's brother in a previous case... I guess we were also introduced to the location of Dusky Bridge? That doesn't seem very vital, in the grand scheme of things. The finale does fine introducing it as well.
> 
> But with this case out of the way, I can finally move on to the case I came here to sin: Bridge to the Turnabout. Fair warning: I plan to take no prisoners when it comes to that review. Sorry (not sorry) if you idolize it. It's my least favorite of the trilogy finales. Let's leave it at that for now.
> 
> Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review, and I'll see you on the far side!


	5. Everything Wrong With: Bridge to the Turnabout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Note Before Beginning: Since I can't access my copy of the game, I'm using the Tyranee Let's Dub of this case for sinning purposes. While I usually use ZSlyzer's playthroughs when things like this happen, I wanted to have a little more fun this time, and cannot recommend the Let's Dub enough. I won't take any sins for it (since it isn't actually part of the game), but most the voices are wonderfully done and their ad-libbing (particularly Edgeworth's) is hilarious.

"This whole opening is amazing. The dramatic monologue, the simple animation, the Kurain village theme playing throughout... No seriously, I get chills every time I replay it. You... you could make an argument for this opening being the current best in the series." *starts with negative two sins

(Gameplay starts) " _Oh! Cult_  magazine is a thing that exists in this universe." *ding

("You'd do anything for Mystic Maya, right? Even walk over burning coals, right!?") "Semi-accurate foreshadowing. He actually attempts to cross a burning bridge." *ding

"Just think: the event that sets the entire plot of this case in motion... is that Iris agreed to have her photo taken next to Bikini in an occult magazine. If that hadn't happened and Bikini was photographed alone, Pearl and Maya wouldn't have had an old enough chaperone and therefore couldn't go to Hazakura, thereby ensuring both Morgan  _and_  Godot's plans never came to fruition. That's some crazy ass coincidence right there." *ding

"Six years ago in February, Dusky Bridge had wildflowers, mist, and mild drizzle. Present case? Completely snowed over with impending thunderstorm blizzards. Talk about a climate change!" *ding

"Bikini says she doesn't want to keep talking outside in the cold... then proceeds to introduce herself and chat with Maya outside in the cold for several minutes. When little Pearl gets hypothermia, I will be blaming Bikini, goddammit." *ding

"Bikini laughs at the thought of dead customers. Some business she's running, here." *ding

"Maya predicts Phoenix will fall into Eagle River before anyone else does. Go Maya!" *still a 'foreshadowing' sin

"Phoenix has incorporated 'zvarri!' into his everyday vocabulary. It did not need to end up in his everyday vocabulary. Or in Maya's, for that matter." *ding

(Meeting "Elise Deauxnim") "Misty Fey returned from hiding not to mourn her eldest (who died in an effort to help her come home), celebrate the truth of DL-6 being revealed, or help her eighteen year old youngest and eight year old niece get along after her own sister is found to be a murder accomplice and goes to prison... but she  _does_  return to become an accomplice in an elaborate 'savior' plot to 'protect' Maya from aforementioned sister's murder plans by aiding a madman obsessed with her dead daughter and those associated with her to the point of changing his career, spying on her relatives, and- I'm getting into this way too early, aren't I? Point is, Misty may not be an outright jerk, but she does have the same schewed priorities as, say, Zak Gramarye. And that is a sin." *ding

(Crossing Dusky Bridge) "It's been eleven years and at least two incidents, and that bridge's condition continues to be outright shit. Bikini and Iris use that bridge to get to the Inner Sanctum. It's rotting/missing boards could kill them at any moment they're using it. Talk about a safety hazard! Why has no one before now put together the funds to rebuild this thing? Maybe now that it's about to get zapped by lightning and destroyed, they'll actually put a new one in?" *ding

"How closely affiliated are Kurain and Hazakura? I ask because both the statue of Ami and Misty's scroll can be found in this place despite their obvious connection to the Fey family. Did the branch family that owned the statue lend it out to these folks? Is Bikini the person who gave it to the exposition in the first place? This is never really explained." *ding

"Maya sees the master's crest and immediately assumes it's a picture of her mother, but... if she's too young to know either way, couldn't this be her grandmother, or great-grandmother, or really any of the masters of Kurain? We have no idea how old this scroll is. While Maya does end up being right, her reasoning proves nothing." *ding

"Phoenix adds evidence to the Court Record while on vacation. It's like he knew ahead of time things were all gonna go to shit and wanted to be ready with the evidence when they do. Is this genre savviness, or foreshadowing? I can never be sure on this one." *ding

(The recurrence of Larry Butz) "I was actually somewhat okay with the Laurice Deauxnim gimmick the first time the series pulled this stunt. The two times after that? Not so much. It might not quite be a sin on this case, but it's a sin nonetheless." *ding

"Larry took 'secret photos' of Maya's mother (who's also, essentially, his boss) without her permission, then made  _copies_  of said photo that he will distribute to anyone, and... no finds this weird or inappropriate." *ding

"How  _did_  he get this picture of Misty without her noticing? She's staring right into the camera." *ding

(Phoenix and Iris) "Both Iris and Phoenix insist they need to use to bathroom, but neither one actually goes. I guess Phoenix was right when he said his Dollie doesn't poop." *ding

(Hotline of Fate plays) "This song in a case that is not Farewell, My Turnabout. For a game that refuses to acknowledge the deeper implications of that case, it sure does (poorly) use a lot of music from it. I like this song, but now is not the time. Now make like AAI and get your own Fate theme!" *ding

(Phoenix tries to run across a burning bridge and falls into the river during a blizzard in late winter) "He survives this." *ding

(Case five gets Edgey) "Awwwww yeah." *removes ten sins

"Did Larry call Edgeworth instead of the police? I... can almost believe that." *ding

"Larry brags about graduating from middle school. Did he never finish high school? I... can almost believe that." *ding

(Edgeworth dismisses the premise of this game's third case as utterly ridiculous) "Why is Edgeworth the only character with any common sense regarding this matter? I mean, good on him, but sin on everyone else." *ding

(Phoenix caught a 'nasty cold') "Yeah, it's called pneumonia." *ding

"How does Edgeworth not remember Dahlia even after meeting Iris? That was his first case in court, and it ended with him nearly losing. Considering how obsessed he was with winning at the time, I can't imagine it left his mind very easily." *ding

"Psycholocks." *ding

"Edgeworth trusts 'Psycholocks' to tell him whether or not a defendant is guilty after possessing the Magatama a total of eight minutes, and doubting its powers besides. It's not we had an  _entire case_  devoted to why this is a bad idea or anything. This series wants to bake its cake and ignore it, too." *ding

"Edgeworth sees Gumshoe for the first time in eleven months, and his first instinct is to insult him." *ding

((Regarding Godot) "He's a complete rookie, but no one can say a bad word about the guy.") "...Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong." *ding

"Gumshoe yells both 'Hold it!' and 'Objection!' in this case, but neither phrase gets the speech bubble. Why is that?" *ding

(Bikini offers to strip down to her underwear for Edgeworth) "Scene of this happening did not make it into the final version of the game. And I cannot be more grateful." *no sin

"Madonna references." *ding

"How does Edgeworth not know who Pearl is? She was with him and Phoenix several times during the finale of the last game, and not always channeling Mia, either. Edgeworth should remember her." *ding

"Can attorneys on either side of the courtroom really just request another judge preside over their case? That could explain how Phoenix always gets the same judge every time, but it doesn't make sense otherwise." *ding

"Gumshoe the wizard did not make it into the final version of the game." *ding

"Edgeworth puts the demon warding hood on, but we never see a picture of him wearing it. And that is a sin." *ding

(Breaking Iris's Psycholocks) "How is Larry this bad at writing love letters? As far as we know, he's had at least three or four girlfriends up to this point. Sure, none of the relationships lasted very long, but the sheer fact he managed to land them in the first place proves he should be better than this. I refuse to believe this is his first time trying to woo a girl through mail, so what's up with this bullshit?" *ding

(Larry claims he chased a girl to Tibet) "Don't you mean Khura'in?" *ding

"Gumshoe's objections can be accompanied by the Pursuit theme (mid-investigation, no less), but they can't come with the actual speech bubble. Why is that?" *ding

(Larry's Psycholocks) "It is Edgeworth's second time with the Magatama, and Larry thinks he's already surpassed Phoenix at using it. I mean, Logic Chess serves basically the same function without the evidence presenting, so I guess he got in some good practice before- wait. AAI2 takes place after this game, doesn't it?" *ding

(Larry writes "Salutation Here" instead of an actual salutation) "Is this really the first time Larry's ever written a letter? I... have a hard time believing that." *ding

"After the second case, in which the game overdoses on blackmail, this case subverts the idea by turning a blackmail letter into a love letter. While funny, it requires Larry to take several levels in dumbass before becoming a witness in this case. I could actually stand him in the first game. After this one? Not as easily." *ding

(Larry gets more locks, and Edgeworth screams) "No." *ding

"Also, Edgeworth speaks for every player ever at this stage of the case. Now if only we could rage-quit on Psyche-Locks more often." *ding

(In court) "The return of Franziska Von Karma." *removes three sins. Fight me

("I have no objection to the whip") "Yeah, well I do. We were  _this close_  to having it removed from this trial day. Why would Edgeworth save it? So the animation team wouldn't have to craft any new sprites for this case?" *ding

"How does Edgeworth know Godot likes to drink coffee in court? Yesterday, he'd never even heard of the guy." *ding

(The judge says he isn't sure how he feels about people acting bizarrely in his court) "Ah, so this is why he isn't a regular judge for the series. He bullshit tolerance is too low to judge more than three cases." *ding

"Bikini's comic shortness. Most people on the stand are visible above the waist, so.. is Bikini really only about three feet tall?" *ding

("Is there some sort of 'Kick Me' sign stuck to the defense's bench?") "Yes, yes there is. Glad you noticed." *ding

("There was no complicated setup in this case.") "Hahahahahahahahaha (breathes) hahaha-" *ding

"Franziska offers to massage Bikini's back after the trial. We never see her do this." *ding

(Proving the shichishito wasn't the murder weapon) "Nothing Edgeworth is saying is wrong here, but I feel like there was a faster way to prove this. Remember back in the second case when we found out the shichishito wasn't sharp enough to stab through much of anything? Well that should still be the case, right? Did everyone really think Iris managed to stab a dull object through what looks like Misty's spine with brute force alone? I... think they actually believed that." *ding

"Bikini, the judge, and Franziska all repeat the same line of dialogue for no reason in particular. Why does this game do that?" *ding

(Towards Bikini: "Her estimation of the time seems reliable, at least.") "Well, that makes one of them at this point of the series." *ding

(Snowmobile tracks contradiction) "Lots and lots of snow puns." *ding

(Calling Larry to the witness stand) "In order to get the court to call this guy as a witness, Edgeworth... hammers in what an absolute dumbass he is? If you're so worried about whether or not the witness will be perceived as credible, maybe don't go out of your way to insult him, will you?" *ding

(In recess) "For reasons that are never explained, Iris refuses to tell anyone about Godot's plan, even when her own life and freedom are on the line. We never even find out why she agreed to be his accomplice in the first place, much less why she's willing to go to prison for this guy. She doesn't know Maya, she doesn't know Godot or Pearl... and if you think about it, if she were to confess now, this case would lose half its runtime. Iris may not be the only character to do this in this case, but that doesn't change the fact that her silence, in retrospect, is annoying as fuck. More on this later." *five sins for now

"Larry's testimony." *ding

"A slap from Naomi, a punch from Miranda... Has Larry been physically abused by all his previous girlfriends? (Laughs sarcastically) It's funny because he's a guy!" *ding

(Discussing Larry and Iris 'coming' and 'being excited') "Sexual innuendo." *ding

"Larry the alien did not make it into the final version of the game. Also, Edgeworth grills Larry about having a poor sense of time when almost everyone in this series up to this point does as well. Even the game itself. Is this really as big a contradiction as Edgeworth thinks it is?" *ding

(Larry's sketch presented to the court) "Some awkward shit." *ding

"Larry's sketch, while bizarre, proves vital to solving a complicated case cliche origin." *ding

(Larry claims the flying woman was Iris) "You've heard of flying killers, now it's time for some flying defendants. And yes, I do know this actually turns out to be a flying victim." *ding

"If Larry is so insistent the flying woman was wearing a hood, why did he draw her with flowing hair? That is never explained." *ding

("Are..." "You..." "High!") "The question every player is asking themselves at this stage of the case made it into the final version of the script. Don't ask me how. I don't know." *ding

"If the crystal sphere is detachable from the staff, how was it stuck on in the first place? It doesn't appear to insert anywhere, and it would have fallen off before now if it just balanced on it. So how was this thing constructed in the first place? With glue?" *ding

"Why is Franziska so pissed about the trial being extended to another day? She hasn't lost yet, nor is she (technically) going to. Did she somehow know ahead of time Godot was going to steal her spot on the prosecution's bench? If not, I think she'd be happy at the thought she might face off against Phoenix Wright again. If she were to win that case, she could brag about beating both Edgeworth and him. After all, isn't that what she wanted to begin with? I am so confused!" *ding

"Also, Edgeworth fully admits he never had any intention of winning this case and wanted to foist it onto Phoenix for the second day all along. So what was all that pretending he did during the investigation for? Huh, Edgey?" *ding

(Franziska whips Larry to unconsciousness, screaming about how she demands satisfaction) "Well. That was pervertedly worded." *ding

"Judge says we'll get answers to this case the next time these parties gather together in the courtroom, but when the answers are revealed, none of said people are here. Not even him." *ding

(Back to Phoenix) "Pieces of narration repeated from the previous case." *ding

"Phoenix went to go visit Dusky Bridge despite still having a 102.2 degree fever and being green in the face. Someone doesn't like healing. Why would the hospital even let him leave in these conditions?" *ding

(Edgeworth summarizes the trial for Phoenix) "Recapping shit we already know. They couldn't have done this off-screen?" *ding

(Gumshoe is setting up rigging so they get to the other side of the Bridge) "Yesterday, they couldn't rescue Maya by helicopter because of the wind. What's today's excuse? Need I remind you she's been trapped there for almost two days in the cold with no food while channeling her psycho cousin? In a cavern? With a nine year old even more vulnerable than she is outside? And her mother's murderer?" *ding

"Franziska whips Phoenix for being ill." *ding

(Larry wants Franzy to star in a book called "Franzy's Whip Lash Splash") "Well that sounds pornographic." *ding

"Phoenix thinks Franziska's hostility is cute? That... beats my fanfiction, I guess?" *ding

"Long sighs." *ding

"Phoenix blames Bikini for Maya being stuck at the Inner Temple, but if she hadn't gone back across that night, Bikini would have been stuck there, too. It's not like she can control whether or not lightning strikes. I get he's sick, but Phoenix's reasoning here makes no sense." *ding

(Bikini says Maya might be trapped with a murderer) "Foreshadowing." *ding

"Franziska as Phoenix's assistant. I like both characters, but seeing as (so far) they're the defense and prosecution of the current case, I'm gonna have to quote the judge of our previous trial." *no sin until I decide

(Pearl tears Franziska a new one for prosecuting Maya last year) "I may like Franziska, but nothing Pearl says is wrong here, so... you go, Pearl." *removes a sin

"Pearl is rescued after being alone and starving for two days, and her first instinct is to run away after a brief conversation. Because that makes sense." *ding

(Phoenix mentions there was snow on the incinerator last he saw it) "It was also an entirely different color. How did that happen?" *ding

"Godot randomly shows up at the Inner Temple after days of no one hearing from him without anyone ever seeing him cross the bridge. He also knows way too much about Hazakura for a man who just got here. And... absolutely no one finds this suspicious? Okay..." *ding

"If the bridge was inaccessible until a few minutes ago, how does Godot already know Phoenix wasn't defending in yesterday's trial? Did he see him fall off the bridge? Is there Wifi on this mountain and Godot just happened to bring his laptop with him? I have so many questions." *ding

("I guess I owe you one, then. But you can go now princess. It's time for the big boys to take the reigns." and "Hey, Filly. Know your role and shut your mouth. I can't stand women like you!") "Godot isn't whipped for this. Also... this works? This is  _all_  it takes to get Franziska to turn over a case to a (by every quantifiable measure) less competent prosecutor, even when she has a vested personal interest in seeing it through to the end? I understand the plot reasons behind it, but Franziska letting this guy take the case from under her makes absolutely no sense. They last time she wanted to face off against Phoenix, she had to be shot in the shoulder by an assassin before she stood down. Now, some guy she just met tells her to get back in the kitchen and she's fine with it? The _fuck_?" *the execution of this entire scene pisses me off. Five sins

(Godot claims Phoenix knows who killed Diego) "Technically, this is true. But since Phoenix doesn't know Godot is Diego (how that's possible when he watched Turnabout Beginnings like the rest of us is anyone's guess), this is just an excuse for Godot to spoonfeed some more foreshadowing to the player. Because this case isn't over-saturated with that as is." *ding

"Godot came to Hazakura two days ago for the purposes of saving Maya from a murder plot. Now he openly taunts Phoenix about how Maya is totally gonna die of hypothermia after being locked in the Sacred Cavern on a block of ice for days. Talk about a role reversal! It's almost like he never gave a shit about her as a person and just came here to- I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? This is a rant I will save for the trial." *ding

"Also, Godot blames Phoenix for sending Maya to her death when it was her and Pearl's choice to come here and they dragged Phoenix along mostly against his will. He should know it wasn't Phoenix's plan to come here because he knows what Morgan's plan was, and whose fault is it that Phoenix didn't know Morgan's plan? ...Oh, right. Projecting much?" *ding

"Why can't they use bolt-cutters to get Maya out of the cavern? Why do they _have_  to solve the trick lock? There's space through the bars. Why can't we at least try to talk to her? Why hasn't Godot been working on it the past few days? He doesn't know Maya is channeling Dahlia, does he? Franziska solves five of these bitches in under twenty four hours. Was Godot really not able to manage even- oh, right. Moving on: why can't they open the door without getting past the lock? The chains and lock are less on the door than they are in front of it, so do they really have to do any of this bullshit anyway? For a situation that's supposedly life-threatening in Maya's case, they sure are shit at explaining any of it." *five more sins

"Recapping the events of Turnabout Sisters. Is there anyone who thought it was a good idea to not play the first game before coming here? Even I'm not that stupid." *ding

"Also, Godot seriously misunderstands the events of Turnabout Sisters. Phoenix was  _not_ with Mia at the time when she was murdered. No one was but her murderer. If you're gonna run around pointing fingers, get your facts straight." *ding

(Godot tells Phoenix he'll never accept him) "And Phoenix would care... why? Up until today, he's met you twice over a four month period. He personally has no connection to you, Godot. Do I understand Godot is coming at this from a severely warped state of mind? Yes, I do. Do I think that makes him any less of an asshole here? No, I don't." *ding

(Going outside to talk with Gumshoe) "Gumshoe tells Franziska and Phoenix not to go to the garden, but... as of now, isn't Franziska still the acting prosecutor on this case? Doesn't he answer to her still? When exactly does the case transfer over to Godot, anyway? The first time I played this case, I thought it wasn't until the morning of the trial because Franziska still wanted to break the locks open to save (who she thought was going to be) Maya, but now you're telling me it happened earlier than that? I'm so confused, here." *ding

"The words 'scientifically speaking' uttered by anyone other than E- wait, Rise from the Ashes hasn't been written yet, has it?" *ding

(Searching the stone lantern) "'I identified my attacker with my blood' cliche. This time, it isn't the killer using it, but what is it with villains using these things?" *ding

"Hey, I have a question: if a spirit medium channels someone else and touches something, do they leave their fingerprints or those of the person they're channeling? If their body morphs to suit the host, wouldn't that include forensic evidence like fingerprints? Considering how much both spirit channeling and forensics are used in this series, and how long the series has been running, you'd think someone would have answered this question by now." *ding

"Why were Iris and Edgeworth wasting time talking at the Main Gate? Did they forget Maya is  _trapped in an icy cavern and might die?_ Get a sense of urgency, here!" *ding

"...Now Phoenix is wasting time talking to these two?! What the fuck? Haul ass, assholes!" *ding

(Franziska is supportive of Bikini in spite of everyone else) "Is Franziska really the most reasonable and non-asshole (beyond the standard whipping) character in this entire investigation? That's... an odd change of pace." *gotta be honest... do I sin it? Sin on everyone else, I guess

(Regarding 'Elise's' true identity) "In some pictures and her sprites, Misty has the same hair color as Maya. In others, it's the same as Mia and Pearl. Did she dye her hair? What is this?" *ding

(Bikini's five Psyche-Locks all break at once) "Love it when this happens." *no sin

"Wow. That earthquake has  _great_ dramatic timing. Someone get it an acting job!" *ding

"An earthquake happens, potentially endangering both Edgeworth and Maya, and Phoenix and Franziska respond to this by having a conversation and bonding as individuals, instead of, you know, going to make sure everyone is alright. Why does everyone here like to loiter in times of crisis in this investigation?" *ding

"Edgeworth plays the pronoun game for the sake of being dramatic." *ding

"Who put up the extra locks on the cavern? Dahlia? During the earthquake? Where did she find them? How did she know they were there? Why does she know how to use them? How did no one see Dahlia doing this? Need I remind you there are police  _everywhere_  over here? Did they not see Iris come over here alone? Did Dahlia even have enough time for- I'm asking way too many questions when I could just as easily sin." *So I do. Three times over

"Also, we later find out Dahlia is impersonating Iris while being channeled by Maya. But if she's actually in Maya's body... why does her body show no ill effects from being trapped in a frozen cavern with no food for two days? Does being channeled change the fact that she should be weak and hungry as fuck?" *ding

(Touching scene with Edgeworth and Phoenix in the garden) "Scene of Phoenix and Edgeworth hugging it out did not make it into the final version of the game." *ding

"Edgeworth hides the fact he met Dahlia before Phoenix did for no apparent reason. Dahlia isn't Iris. All Edgeworth said is that he'd seen her face before, not met her. Did we really need more foreshadowing for the twin reveal? I don't think we needed more foreshadowing for the twin reveal." *ding

(Larry and Pearl are hanging out at Heavenly Hall together) "For a guy Pearl's only met once, she sure is comfortable going with him alone to abandoned shack so they can 'lose themselves forevermore'. Because that's not a stupid idea. Pearl may be nine, but I give her more credit than this." *ding

"If Bikini knows about DL-6 and how it wrecked the Kurain tradition, why doesn't she also know Phoenix is the one who resolved it and proved the medium did nothing wrong? Why are the Feys still suffering because Gregory Edgeworth lied? And this is more a criticism of the first game, but again: why was Misty blamed for Yogi getting off? He got off because the courts declared him insane, not because they didn't think he did it. For such a huge plot point in both this game and the first one, it sure is shit at holding up to scrutiny." *ding

(Recapping Turnabout Sisters and Reunion and Turnabout along with DL-6) "We get it. This case is supposed to be the finale of the trilogy  _and_ the game. Why else would they acknowledge all the cases leading up to it? All the cases except the one that was supposed to change how Phoenix operated as a lawyer forevermore, but go off, I guess." *ding

(Iris is Pearl's half-sister) "I feel for Phoenix and his shock, here. I too had trouble believing Morgan got two separate men to fuck her, let alone marry. Power and status only works to describe her first marriage (before Misty became master, then left Kurain disgraced), so... what was Pearl's father getting out of this union?" *ding

(Iris and Dahlia) "Evil twin cliche. Also, I have serious questions about Morgan's first divorce: to start, since when are men capable of winning a custody battle against the biological mother? What did Morgan do to lose that fight? It's harder than you'd think. And if you say she was willing to give them up because they didn't have spiritual power... need I remind you they were five? It was unusual for Pearl to show such obvious spiritual power at age eight. They shouldn't know whether Dahlia or Iris would have powers yet.

"Second of all, if he won custody of both kids (after the fight that had to have been), why would he be willing to turn around and give up one? Just because his new wife is a bitch who doesn't want two more kids? Why was she willing to marry him, then? They weren't a surprise, were they? Why keep one kid and not the other? Either keep both or get rid of both. That would make way more sense. Why didn't Iris go back to her mother at this point? Why drop her at a random temple somewhat connected to Kurain? Why wasn't she returned to Morgan after being dropped there? Does Bikini have zero contact with the rest of Kurain village? ...And why give up Iris, the one who  _isn't_  an asshole? If they gave up the sociopath, Dahlia's character motivations would actually make some sense. But much like the rest of this scenario, they don't. Not even a bit." *ding

"How does Bikini not know Dahlia's name? Iris later tells us the two of them still hung out and met with each other after separation. I find it hard to believe Iris was always willing to hide that from Bikini. This story makes for a semi-decent plot tw- oh who am I kidding? We all knew it was Dahlia from a mile away by now. The sole purpose of this was to bloat out the investigation's runtine. And considering how long this case is, that did not need to happen." *ding

(Last sin on this scene, I promise) "And how does saying Iris's twin had a jeweler for a father not immediately confirm Phoenix's suspicions? He already knows what both girls look like. He watched Turnabout Beginnings with the rest of us. So why is he acting like he knows nothing about that case? Did his fever make him forget?" *ding

"Speaking of Phoenix's cold and forgetting things... did the game just forget he had it mid-investigation? Phoenix has been acting perfectly healthy for a while now, even though he was coughing up a storm earlier. The cold should be making his fever feel worse, not better." *ding

(Gumshoe: An investigator investigates for the love of investigating! It's a passion.) "No, actually. It's your job." *ding

"Gumshoe's singing." *ding

"The metal detector from the first game makes a reappearance. This is my favorite cameo from that case  _by far_." *no sin

"Also, I just noticed: metal detectors and bug detectors (from the last game) were given the exact same sound effect. Why?" *ding

"Gumshoe dreams of one day arresting Phoenix as a suspect, but he achieved just that within days of their first meeting. For a case so closely tied with Turnabout Sisters, you'd think they would have remembered the details better than this." *ding

"The reveal of the staff-sword is cool and all, but... if Misty was always planning to channel Dahlia and knew Dahlia wanted to kill, why would she bring a deadly weapon with her so her spirit could do just that? Is anyone actually interested in explaining shit in this case, or did Takumi just decide to write whatever sounded cool? At this point, I really have no reason to believe otherwise." *ding

"Why wouldn't there be any legal record of Iris having a twin? Even if she was given up at age five, they'd still have her birth certificate recorded, and she definitely would have been mentioned in Morgan's first divorce, alongside Dahlia. Is it because she doesn't have a last name she goes by? That would explain the process taking longer, but not eliminate the process entirely." *ding

"I'm late asking this, but how is it Iris and Dahlia were identical in everything except hair color? They're either really similar looking fraternal twins, or identical and Dahlia liked to dye her hair. We never find out which." *ding

(Phoenix identifies Dahlia as "the woman who tried to kill me") "Which one? At least two have tried. At this stage of your career and beyond, you're gonna need to be more specific." *ding

(Edgeworth explains that Dahlia was executed) "Recapping shit from the first case." *ding

"...Now I'm confused as fuck. Edgeworth says it's been six years since Dahlia was found guilty, meaning her conviction should have happened in 2013. But thanks to both the first case's opening (saying the case was five years ago) and the previous case, we concluded it must have actually happened in 2014, because 2013 was Turnabout Beginnings and there's a fourteen month gap between the cases. Now Edgeworth's saying that was all wrong? Why can this game not figure out which past case happened when? I am utterly, unforgivably lost on this point." *ding

"Phoenix asks Edgeworth if he knows anything about Kurain. He... did experience Turnabout Goodbyes before coming here, right? I know it was three years ago, but come on. How do you forget shit like this?" *ding

(Breaking 'Iris's' Psyche-Locks) "To break these locks on Dahlia, Phoenix must present her with information only Iris would know. Did the game just forget they switched places earlier? Or was that twist added in a later draft?" *ding

"Also, Phoenix thinks 'Iris' is trying to help Franziska free Maya from the cavern, but he also still thinks it's a good idea to constantly bother her. He can't wait for 'Maya' to be free first? It's almost like everyone in this game knows Maya's plot armor is too strong for her to be in serious danger, and doesn't see the matter as all that urgent. Which is quite a departure from the last finale, if you think about it. Were both cases really written by the same person in the span of two years? Sure doesn't feel that way." *ding

('Iris' blames herself for Dahlia being a sociopath) "Never mind that all these heartfelt confessions are actually coming from Dahlia. Telling the story of Iris and Dahlia several times doesn't magically cause it to make sense. Your previous sins still stand, here." *ding

(Pearl's Psyche-Locks) "As much as I still hate the fact that the locks aren't laid over the chains in any logical way, I do appreciate the altered arrangement to account for Pearl's shorter height. That was nice." *no sin

(Morgan told her nine year old kid to channel her murderess of a sister in order to kill her cousin) "Some messed up shit. Hold on. I need to go cleanse my soul..." *ten sins

"Where is this guest area at the Inner Temple that Pearl speaks of? We never see it." *ding

"Is the Inner Temple area larger than I think it is? How is it that three people were all over there and never ran into each other for two days? I mean yeah, Maya was in the cavern, but still: either Pearl is a terrible finder, or Godot is awesome at hiding." *ding

(Godot shows up right as Pearl mentions the letter seal being broken when she found it) "Foreshadowing." *ding

"How did Godot beat Pearl to Morgan's letter without anyone noticing? Pearl wasn't with Phoenix and Maya in January (during the third case), so we have to assume she was living in Kurain then. We have no reason to believe she didn't go straight back home after seeing her mother. That means that Godot was eavesdropping on their visit when it happened, drove (if he passed the driver's test in his condition, otherwise he took the same train as Pearl, which makes this even worse) to Kurain, and went pilfering through a secret corner in the village without anyone (including Pearl) ever noticing a stranger in their midst. He's... not exactly inconspicuous. This whole scenario is some bullshit." *ding

"Also, let's talk about Morgan's plans for one second. Last game, she planned to get Maya imprisoned by making it look like she killed someone while channeling a spirit. This game, she wants Pearl to kill Maya... while channeling a spirit. Does she not think that will send Pearl to juvie? She can't very well be Master if she's locked up for murdering her cousin. I would question this further, but at this point, I have a bigger question for myself: why am I still trying to make sense of this case?" *sin on me

(Franziska and Bikini don't go to trial because they're trying to open the Sacred Cavern) "This is great and all, but if Maya is considered a suspect in this case, is there a reason trial can't be delayed until they confirm her condition and clear her of suspicion? You can't very well go to trial with two suspects, can you?" *ding

(In trial) "For the third time is as many games, Maya is accused of murder. Can Maya not go one game without this cliche?" *three sins

"Godot claims a private conversation between an attorney and someone else doesn't count as testimony... even though it does for several witnesses multiple times in this series. Most recently, with Edgeworth talking to Iris in detention and getting her statement there. Why does that change from the beginning of the case to now?" *ding

(Godot insists he will render final judgement in this case) "Godot clearly graduated from the Manfred Von Karma school of running your own trials. Don't ask me how. I don't know." *ding

(Godot claims "cute girls never lie. Ever.") "Ironic, coming from you." *ding

"Overuse of the Core theme. Mid-court, no less." *ding

("You're in no position to say this witness isn't telling the truth!") "Isn't he, though? 'Iris' is the defendant of this case, with an obvious reason to lie. Did the court just forget that? None of her testimonies have held up to scrutiny. There may be strange sights on the other side of the bridge, but that doesn't change what was proved in court yesterday. The person on trial here is not Maya, but Iris. The only reason she hasn't been declared guilty already is because Godot is more interested in covering his ass and torturing Phoenix than he is in doing his job. So she's allowed to keep going into her fourth testimony, because... plot." *ding

(Explaining how the body was moved) "Some wack-ass bullshit. Simply put, there's no way Misty was tied to the support rope (weak from, I don't know,  _being on fire_ ) tightly enough to not fall into the river, but loose enough to come off when it reaches the other side. I would say this is the craziest murder setup in the entire series, but that simply isn't true. There is and always will be Turnabout Ablaze." *regardless, twenty sins

"How does the judge remember yesterday's witness? He wasn't even there!" *ding

(Exposing Dahlia) "This makes for a fun plot twist and all, but isn't there a faster way to prove which twin this 'Iris' really is? Just take a DNA or fingerprint sample. As I understand it, these two things should still identify her as Maya, not Iris. That would prove that Dahlia is being channeled  _and_  who is channeling her. But then we would ruin the dramatic scene later, so... fine. Take the long way." *ding

"Godot gives no shits that the woman who murdered him is standing right in front of them all. For perspective, last time he saw her, he killed her spirit medium and his ex-lover's mother with a stab in the back. This time, he's calm and coffee-sipping? The fuck?" *ding

"How does Godot know Iris was the younger twin? That was never told to us before." *ding

"And how has Phoenix's not realized Maya's true location yet? Or Dahlia, for that matter? As of Misty's death, there are two spirit mediums in this entire nation: Pearl and Maya. He saw Pearl as herself this morning before trial started. She's in the gallery right now, and is about to channel Mia. But this takes him time to figure out anyway, because... dramaticism." *ding

"Why did Bikini not think it was weird that 'Iris' had Misty's staff? You'd think she would have remembered seeing it, if it was there. But she didn't, because... plot, I guess." *ding

"Godot's ringtone is his own theme song? That's... kinda cool, actually." *no sin

(Phoenix screams when he thinks Maya is dead) "No." *ding

"Godot proves Maya didn't jump into the Eagle River from the Inner Temple side... by using the very contradiction Mia used to prove Dahlia didn't from the previous case. Nice parallel, there." *not a sin

(Phoenix and Godot both quote Sherlock Holmes (the same quote, nonetheless) within two minutes of each other) "Repeated dialogue." *ding

(Dahlia thinks Pearl is channeling her) "Either Dahlia can't see her own hair color, or she has no idea what Pearl Fey looks like. No matter which way you slice it, she's wrong for some very obvious reasons." *ding

"And while I agree this scene is dramatic... do they have to play the Pursuit theme every other minute? They wore this one out so much in this trial. I... think I know why they switched to Cornered later." *ding

(Mia returns to give Dahlia an epic smackdown) "...Oh, yeah. Go, Mia!

"...Unfortunately, I can't remove sins for this plan. While brilliant, it relies on Maya or Mia knowing that Pearl was trying to channel Dahlia at the time, and would eventually try again because her mother told her to. Now tell me: how would either of them have known that? Even if they thought Pearl had channeled Dahlia the first time, there's no way they should have known the rest. Does death bring Mia omniscience on every current case? Spirit of Justice tells us that's bullshit, but this game was written before that, and by someone else regardless. We're given no indication that Maya found the burnt instructions, so how does the game plan to- oh, who am I kidding? They're never going to explain this." *I don't add a sin, but I don't remove any, either

(Mia and Phoenix talk down to Dahlia about how she fails at everything and Mia will always defeat her) "'The Reason You Suck' speech. A particularly fine specimen." *this, I remove sins for. Ten, in fact

(The exorcism) "...This breakdown is  _awesome_. Probably one of my favorites ever, and undoubtedly the best and most memorable at the time of release." *ten more sins off

(Return of Maya) "Fainting in court cliche." *ding

(When the judge is about to end the case) "Godot goes from trying to protect Maya in a murder plot... to outright trying to pin the blame of his murder on her. You can try and argue he wanted to reveal himself as the killer, but if that were the case, why not just confess? If Godot was right about everyone and Phoenix wasn't capable of figuring it out, Maya would go to jail for matricide. Even if she struck in self-defense, that's still a crime in this universe. And again, he seems to have forgotten that the defendant in this case is Iris, not Maya. If he wanted to argue that Iris may still be guilty, he would have to claim nothing at all happened on the Inner Temple side of the bridge and go back on his own choice of calling Dahlia to the stand and presenting evidence supporting her story. Most notably, how Misty's blood ended up on the lantern. After all, Iris was stuck on the other side the whole time, and it's been proved to death the murder happened after the bridge caught fire. In other words, he'd have to act like this trial day thus far never even happened.

"See, this is why I don't buy the interpretation of Godot as a tragic hero (or even a sympathetic villain) for even a second. He supposedly loved Mia (a woman he could have only dated for six months max) so much, he... hates on and constantly tries to undermine her apprentice (whom she clearly cares about) from the prosecutor's bench, puts her sister and young cousin in danger by letting her aunt's murder plan get this far, kills her mother after conspiring with her and  _knowing_  she was the one channeling Dahlia right when she comes back to help Maya and be with her family again (did he forget Mia literally gave her life attempting to track her mother down? Or does he just not care? By killing her, he's basically ensuring that Mia's life's work and chief motivation for becoming a lawyer were all for nothing), and is fine with either his accomplice (also Mia's cousin) or her little sister (whom Mia is stated several times to love more than anyone else, including him) take the fall for everything he's done. That's not love. That's a twisted obsession. The nicest thing I can say about Godot is that he's probably mentally ill after what happened to him. He went through a lot of shit and never dealt with his grief. And that turned him into... well, this.

"He didn't do this for Mia or Maya, he did it for himself. He even admits it, later. He did all this so he could make up for his own ego and atone for the fact that he was stupid enough to ingest poisoned coffee around Dahlia... six months after Dahlia coerced Terry Fawles into suicide by drinking poison out of his coffee  _using the same source of poison_. Then when he woke up years later (which would be hard enough on anyone), he didn't care that Mia had avenged his death and moved on from him. He cared that Mia had died, and wanted to blame not her actual murderer (whom Phoenix had already caught), but Phoenix himself for it so that he could avenge Mia when really, Phoenix already had. Is he sexist? I don't know. His comments toward Franziska don't paint him a good light, exactly, but I think he was projecting his own expectations for himself onto Phoenix when he blames Phoenix for not protecting Mia, even though there's no way Phoenix or Godot could ever have. Maybe it's because Phoenix is more like the Diego he used to be than he (Godot) is now. Notice how he never blames Maya for Mia's death, even though she and Phoenix were in the same situation.

"Like this character, hate him, I don't care. But don't pretend he was a good guy. He's basically the Snape of the Ace Attorney fandom. Don't pretend like Mia and Godot could ever have a healthy romance. That died with Diego in the courthouse six years prior. Dahlia's not the only vengeful ghost in this case. The sooner people realize that, the more I'll be able to stand playing or talking about this game ever again." *too tired of ranting to sin this. What would I be sinning, anyway? Other fans' interpretations?

(Godot criticizes Phoenix for always relying on outside (mostly Mia's) help to win a case) "I write a four paragraph rant about Godot, then he invokes what I've been saying all along about these past three games. About time this series acknowledged it's mentor ex machina problem. I'm proud to say this cliche all but dies after the trilogy is over. Instead, it becomes rival ex machina!" *not a sin, though

(In recess) "What Iris's role in the kidnapping plan even supposed to be? She constantly talks about how she ran away and shit, but what she supposed to do? The plan, as we know it, had no role for her. Was she going to push Valerie off the bridge from behind? Switch places with Dahlia after the ransom and go back with their father? If her options were to either commit murder or leave her life (and Bikini) behind in favor of the life that Iris believed made Dahlia such a shitty person, I think I can understand why she wanted no part of it. Either way, the game doesn't feel like elaborating, as per usual, so I'm left to speculate. Again." *ding

"Iris calls Valerie Dahlia's half sister, but that would imply they had a common parent. But that doesn't make sense, because Valerie was significantly older than Iris and Dahlia, old enough to be a police detective when they were fourteen. Unless their father was getting it on with his second wife before he met his first, this shouldn't be a thing." *ding

(Iris explaining her role in the crime) "I admit I'm being nitpicky as fuck, but... this timeline is jacked up. Iris said she got the call from her room at 10:30 to come to the Inner Temple right away, and took the snowmobile to do so. We learned from yesterday's trial that it takes five minutes to get to the bridge that way. However, we also know that lightning didn't strike the bridge until 10:45, so Iris still should have had time to cross the bridge, she just might have been trapped on it when lightning hit. Also, it's been proven to death that the murder didn't happen until after the bridge caught on fire, so what was Godot doing calling Iris at _least_  fifteen minutes before the murder? Did he want her help in restraining Misty-as-Dahlia? Judging by Iris's feelings toward her sister, I can't imagine she would have been that helpful. If you don't want me to be nitpicking a case down to fifteen minutes of difference, don't be so inconsistent about what happened when." *ding

"And once again, she refuses to name Godot, even though she has nothing to gain out of hiding it (or to lose from revealing it), because... reasons. I know I sinned this earlier, but it still pisses me off, goddammit." *ding

"Mia is cryptic to put pressure on the player cliche. I get why, and actually do appreciate letting Phoenix do the work this time, but either don't help him at all, or tell him everything. I never understood why this in-between stage existed." *ding

(Trial resumes) "Judge says there wasn't time to perform a decent analysis of the knife Maya used... even though it is now past three o'clock and the test was ordered a little after ten. Why did determining who the blood  _didn't_ belong to take five hours? Why couldn't they have figured out more in this time? If Godot really has a weird medical condition associated with the poisoning he went through, shouldn't they at least know the owner of the blood on the knife had this issue? Forensic tests and how long they take have always varied by plot, but this is a particularly egregious example that I feel needs attention." *three sins

("It's not good to have too much light around when someone is undergoing spiritual training") "So what was up with all the candles in the Channeling Chamber last game?" *ding

(Maya got hit on the head and was afraid of losing her memory) "Referencing The Lost Turnabout. Can we not just pretend like that case never happened? Please?" *ding

"Godot tries to discredit Maya's testimony by pointing out how unstable her mind is... when he's the one who called her up here in the first place. This guy wants to make his coffee and drink it, too." *ding

(Maya screams when Phoenix proves she saw a man) "No." *ding

(Phoenix goes after Godot as the killer) "Maya goes from 'convict the killer, Nick, or I'll never forgive you, even at the cost of my own life' in the last game to protecting the killer of this game at all costs, even though he killed someone much closer to her and (if she doesn't fess up) has a reasonable chance of getting away with everything pinned on her. She may well believe Godot saved her life. It's not like she knows at this time that if he'd acted logically, she wouldn't have been in danger at all. But that doesn't mean she'd be willing to go down for matricide to spare him the cost of his own actions. If the last game is any indication, that goes against one of Maya's core convictions as a character. And that type of OOC-ness is a sin." *a ten-ton one, at that

"Also, even if Maya says she thought the killer was male for another reason, that does nothing to spare Godot. Think of all the other male characters in this case for a minute. Does anyone believe for a second that Phoenix, Gumshoe, Edgeworth, Larry, or one of the judges was the one who did it? No? That's ridiculous, you say? Well then. My point is proven." *ding

(Proving it was Godot who didn't remove the bloody writing from the lantern) "After three cases of exposing the killer by proving they knew a detail they shouldn't have due to arriving in court later, this case reverses the trick and exposes the killer by proving they didn't know a detail they should have after being in court the whole time. It's... kind of an interesting switch." *and not quite a sin

"Why is Maya allowed to testify for Pearl? How does she know anything about Pearl did and did not do? This is speculation at best, hearsay at worst. Maya should know this. She's been a defense assistant for three years. If they have no problems putting seven-year-old Cody Hackins on the stand in the first game, why would they have a problem with nine-year-old Pearl in this one? All because Godot imposed an arbitrary rule about Maya being the last witness? Why does that hold any water? Need I remind you he's under suspicion for murder?" *ding

(Judge allows Maya's hearsay to stand) "So if both the prosecution and defense agree, then casual hearsay can be admitted as testimony? That... doesn't sound legal." *ding

"Godot cheered Pearl up by... giving a nine-year old some coffee? I remember trying coffee at age nine. Let's just say it did not cheer me up in the slightest." *ding

(Godot eavesdropped on Morgan and Pearl's visit) "This is probably the least objectionable crime that Godot commits, but it's still not legal. As a newly minted prosecutor and former defense attorney, Godot should know this." *ding

"How did he spy on the meeting anyway? Through the security camera? Posing as the guard? Bugging the visiting room? I find it hard to believe he carried out any one of these plans without other people noticing, so why did no one say anything? Were they also his accomplices for no apparent reason? Did Godot pay them off? Add this to the list of things that were never explained in this case." *ding

(Proving Godot was once Diego) "Well. I guess no one was waiting for Godot this time. We've strayed quite a bit from the source material, haven't we?" *ding 

("The Bitter Taste of Truth") "This song." *removes a sin

(Godot was able to find Misty because the police had been watching her) "And they just tell any new prosecutor about this, no matter how mysterious their origin... why, again?" *ding

"Has Misty been keeping up her spiritual training for the past seventeen years? If not, I call bullshit on her being able to channel a spirit on her first try after not training for that long, beating an outright prodigy at doing so because 'she's the master'. Both previous games are clear that a medium has to keep up her training in order to be able to do something like this. It was even a huge plot point in Turnabout Goodbyes. But if we're willing to ignore Farewell, I guess it's not much of a stretch that we ignore Goodbyes as well. After all, who cares about inconsistency, so long as the trilogy gets a cool send-off? This was originally intended to be the end of the series." *ding

"Remixing Pursuit-Cornered. Like most Ace Attorney fans, I am a complete sucker for this song." *removes a sin

"Godot's final argument that he isn't the killer is that... if he were the killer, he totally would have forged evidence to hide the fact? Some prosecutor he is!" *ding

"Why can't they just the blood against Godot's and prove it's his? Why do we have to win this case the hard way? Just so we can have a dramatic double-point at the end? That's not a good enough reason to forgo logic." *ding

(Maya points out a contradiction in Phoenix's theory) "Why is Maya better than a prosecutor (and former lawywer) at making effective arguments against Phoenix? I mean, good on her (even if her motives are out of character), but sin on Godot. Some rival he is!" *ding

"Godot committing murder naked did not make it into the final version of the game. Because that would have been entertaining." *ding

(The final presentation of evidence) "Whether you get this present right or not, the music keeps playing and Godot will say the same thing regardless. The only thing that changes is the end, when Godot sees Mia's ghost standing beside Phoenix and realizes he was in the wrong all along. Ignore the storyline for a second. Even I have to acknowledge this is a clever trick of gameplay that's befitting a third game in the series. I'm not an asshole about  _everything,_ after all." *removes a sin

"For one scene and one scene only, we can read Godot's thoughts, even though we aren't playing as him. The last time this happened was with Maya, when we were trapped in the evidence room with her, Phoenix, and Manfred von Karma. This makes for a cool scene and all, but it's a break in gameplay format that irks me regardless." *but I choose not to sin it fully. Half-sin instead

(Godot has an epiphany about himself as a character) "And here it is. Godot's most redeeming character trait is that he eventually realizes what an asshole he is. Is it nice? Yeah, kinda. Does it mean he deserves sympathy from the very people he set out to badger and endanger to prove to himself he's still a hero? No, not really. Much like Acro, I have to ask a similar question: if Morgan's plan had gone through, and Dahlia was channeled by Pearl instead, does anyone here think Godot wouldn't have killed her? When he could have achieved the same result by hitting the staff over her head instead of through her back? Godot himself acknowledges he still would have killed the medium channeling Dahlia, even if said medium was nine. How sympathetic would this guy have been, had he killed an underage girl who simply didn't understand the magnitude of her actions? The very reason they were in this situation in both cases is because the disabled man refused to communicate with anyone about what was going on behind the scenes. If Godot had reached out to Phoenix, or even had Iris or Misty tell Pearl the truth of what she'd be doing, none of this would have happened. He can cry blood all he wants. That doesn't change the facts of what's been laid out long before now." *the second half of the sin

(Iris tells Phoenix that she's the 'Dahlia' he dated) "...Yeah, my sin from the first case stands. There is absolutely no reason Iris couldn't have simply stolen the necklace back from Phoenix. The very fact she didn't was what put Phoenix in danger in the first place, and we don't even have a clear reason for Iris not doing it, anyway. She can still date Phoenix after this, right? Why do none of this character's actions make any sense? Was she really only developed to be in relation to other characters? If so, that's some wasted potential right there. Though it does explain why we never see her in the series again, long after her prison sentence should be over. Which is odd, considering both she and Phoenix confess their love for each other as well. Can't piss off the Narumayo and Narumitsu portions of the base, I guess." *ding

(trial is over) "Mia says she and Phoenix will one day meet again. That never happens." *ding

"Oh hey, Franziska and Edgeworth are here. Not gonna lie, I kinda forgot they were in this case. Considering they were the defense and prosecution of the first day in trial, that's not a good thing." *ding

(Everyone talks Larry out of thinking he's worthless, even Franziska) "That was... actually, kind of a sweet scene. Especially after the rest of this case's atmosphere." *no sin

(Edgeworth realizes Maya is being strong for Pearl) "See, this is the Maya characterization that I'm here for. None of that 'protecting a killer' nonsense." *removes a sin

"How does Gumshoe not remember Tres Bien, where his longtime crush was framed for murder? He's already eaten there once. He knows the food was terrible, and that was only a month ago? Did Franziska's whipping cause him to lose memory? I... might actually believe that." *ding

(Maya comforts Pearl at the Training Hall) "Awwwww..." *removes a sin

(Phoenix ending monologue) "A good speech, but still ending narration. The picture of the Fey sisters is adorable, though, so I won't sin."

(The credits) "Maya says in the credits she's gonna keep working with Phoenix along side being master, but two months later in the flashback case for Turnabout Succession, she's nowhere to be seen. A-plus for consistency across games, there, Takumi." *ding

"Franziska taught Andrews how to use a whip? That's kinky. And it sure beats my fanfiction!" *no sin

"What is Oldbag doing in the credits? She wasn't even in this game!" *but the game is basically over, so I don't sin

**Total Sin Tally: 197**

**Sentence: Training at Hazukara Temple (the Ultra Course)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N's: Well, this case has done it. It has officially surpassed Turnabout Revolution (both parts) for my longest review of a single case. Now, I don't know how that's going to hold up to the AAI finales (particularly the Grand Turnabout), but if you split Revolution into two cases, than the previous record holder was Turnabout Succession. Also if you split Revolution, Succession maintains the current record for highest number of sins on a single case. To compare, this case won one less sin than Turnabout Revolution's second half, bringing T&T's total sin count to 526.5, beating out AJ, JFA and the first game, but not coming within striking distance of DD or SoJ, both of which earned almost 800 sins.
> 
> However, that may not be a fair comparison. After all, SoJ essentially had seven cases while JFA only had four. So to truly compare the games in the main series, I divided their sin counts by the number of cases in each one. The results are below:
> 
> PW:AA had 389 sins divided by five cases for an average of 77.8 sins per case.
> 
> JFA had 374 sins divided by four cases for an average of 93.5 sins per case.
> 
> T&T had 526.5 sins divided by five cases for an average of 105.3 sins per case.
> 
> AJ had 506 sins divided by (you can argue about this if you want) four cases for an average of 126.5 sins per case. If you divide by five, then 101.2 sins per case.
> 
> DD had 795 sins divided by six cases for an average of 132.5 sins per case.
> 
> SoJ had 782.5 sins divided by seven cases for an average of 111.8 (rounding up) sins per case. If you prefer to divide by six, then 130.4 sins per case.
> 
> I don't know if anyone finds this interesting but me, but there are the stats. I hope you enjoyed this review. At the very least, it finally helped me to articulate my feelings about this case. There are parts I liked no doubt, but you can also read about all the issues I had with it. If you like it still, that's fine. But don't be one of those people on the message boards who tries to argue with me that this case has no flaws. I've been dealing with that for years now. Like people in all fandoms need to realize, you can love a piece of work and still acknowledge what's wrong with it. That's why I write these fics. That's why I still like SW-TLJ and even referenced it in this work.
> 
> I expect debates to break out in the comments (which have been oddly silent thus far, with the exception of one person), but please, keep that in mind as you plan to dispute me. I'll concede if I think you're right, and have before (I had to edit my Goodbyes review like, five, times for the people who poked holes in it), but if I agree to disagree, that's it. Please don't get offended if that happens. Once again, it has happened before.
> 
> Regardless, thanks for reading, don't forget to comment, and I have RL shit to work on that I've put off in favor of writing this. Until we meet again and I'm sinning AAI... Sayonara! I will see you on the far side!


End file.
